COA team arrives for audit of Bangsamoro Education ministry
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 05 September) – A special audit team from the Commission on Audit arrived Friday morning in Cotabato City to look into “alleged anomalous disbursements” of ₱2.2 billion by the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
COA ordered the audit last month following formal complaints that the MBHTE made a ₱1.77-billion payment in a single day and a ₱449.2-million payment issued to a single supplier “under questionable circumstances.”
The audit team was escorted by Marines, police, and other security forces when they went to the ministry to obtain documents from the COA regional office.
MBHTE Director General Abdullah “Jun” Salik said the documents were handed over smoothly, but expressed shock at the number of security personnel deployed.
“It was overkill, it was shocking and alarming to see so many police and Marines” Salik said in an interview after a meeting with top officials of the ministry.
The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) said the security forces were there to ensure the safety of the auditors.
“Our troops are always there to provide security for this kind of thing, that’s also part of their area of responsibility,” Lt Col Jopy Ventura, spokesperson of PRO-BAR, said.
The special audit came almost a month after COA Chair Gamaliel Cordoba wrote BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua about the complaints, and that initial review “by the relevant COA offices” indicates that the complaints “merit the conduct of a special audit.”
Two weeks earlier, Macacua’s office confirmed receiving a letter from COA announcing the formation of a special audit team.
Allegations received by COA said a ₱1.77-billion disbursement was made in a single day in March 2025, reportedly for learners’ and teachers’ kits.
This transaction allegedly bypassed standard review procedures.
Another complaint involves a ₱449.2-million payment to a supplier under “questionable circumstances,” COA said.
Attempts to reach Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal and his information officer for comment were unsuccessful.
However, in previous statements, Iqbal, who called the allegations a “demolition job,” said his agency is open to any investigation to reveal the truth.
Lawyer Rasol Mitmug, chair of the Bangsamoro Parliament’s blue ribbon committee, has called on Iqbal to take an “indefinite leave of absence” to allow COA to freely conduct its investigation on the allegations against MBHTE.
Mitmug also wanted Macacua to ask Iqbal to step down from his position as Education minister.
In an interview, Mitmug said he and Iqbal had a chat where he asked his colleague to take a leave of absence “as a crucial step to protect the integrity of the investigation and ensure there is no influence or obstruction of the audit process.”
He said Iqbal replied that he would consider the advice and thanked Mitmug for the suggestion. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera/MindaNews)
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