THE chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Abdulraof Macacua, has sacked Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal from the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE). This came in the wake of a final, special audit report by the Commission on Audit (COA) on his ministry, which confirmed massive fraud in the procurement of P2.2 billion worth of education and training materials.
In a two-page letter to Iqbal dated May 11, 2026, Macacua asked the education minister to resign immediately upon receipt of the letter, or consider himself resigned as of May 18, 2026.
Based on the COA findings, the MBHTE failed to impose liquidated damages amounting to P1.06 million due to the 520-day delay in the delivery of goods for the procurement of P30.9 million worth of small armchairs for primary school learners. This violated Section 68 and Item 3 of the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 9184, as well as Item IV (8) of the contract-agreement with the supplier.
Moreover, on the dock were 53 contracts totaling P1.95 billion, which were awarded by the MBHTE despite material defects in the procurement process. These included acceptance of bids that failed to identify the joint venture as the bidder, late posting of performance securities (PS), which should have been made within 10 days, and misrepresentation in the omnibus sworn statements. All these should have resulted in the bidders concerned being declared ineligible and post-disqualified. However, the bids and awards committee (BAC) accepted bids that failed to properly identify the bidders as a joint venture.
As a result of the late posting of PS by bidders for the projects, the agency was not assured of the “faithful performance of the suppliers’ contractual obligations” at the time of contract execution. The BAC likewise failed to disqualify CNX Mini Mart for not posting the PS for the Education Summit 2024, valued at P4.7 million.
In addition, 73 disbursement vouchers covering the procurement of goods amounting to P2.24 million were processed and fully paid. The payment was based solely on certifications from MBHTE officials and employees, despite the absence of required documents. It’s like conjuring things from thin air.
Moreover, the Commission on Finance of the Bangsamoro Transit Authority (BTA) found out that the MBHTE bought overpriced armchairs at a staggering P5,070 per unit. This is excessive. I wonder if these armchairs are made of steel, lined with chrome and have the softest padding for the kids.
There was also the matter of the P5 billion account just sitting idly in the ministry for years. The law said the unused amount should be reverted to the National Treasury, but the funds were never reverted. Such funds could have been used for other purposes in a land whose people still suffer from massive poverty and high rates of illiteracy.
As Lou Grant said, “Gimme the facts.” Subcommittee D of the BTA listed the other failures of the MBTHE.
– MBHTE posted (75.21 percent) allotment, (47.81 percent) obligation and (44.04 percent) disbursement as of Aug. 31, 2025, reflecting continued delays in program execution and funds utilization.
– Cumulative 2023-2025 performance shows persistent absorptive capacity issues, with P28,214,584,455.31 unobligated appropriations, P11,637,144,917.81 unobligated allotments and P6,282,391,241.78 unpaid obligations.
– Performance indicators remain generic, inconsistent and insufficiently learner-centered, limiting the ability to link expenditures to learning outcomes or justify program expansions.
– Misalignment between physical and financial performance reports reveals weaknesses in data reconciliation and internal reporting.
– Major programs, such as the Bangsamoro School Sports Program, lack clear targets, disaggregated costing and measurable performance indicators.
– Outdated data — particularly reliance on 2019 BERDP assumptions — continues to undermine planning, target setting and budget justification.
– Absence of a coherent logical framework linking MBHTE programs to education outcomes affects monitoring, evaluation and evidence-based planning.
– Persistent absorptive capacity constraints have resulted in reversions, including P830,193,126 in PS and Government Service Insurance System -related funds reverted in 2025, and risks of P10 billion being reverted from prior years.
– Implementation delays are driven by procurement bottlenecks, limited technical personnel, unresolved administrative requirements and unfilled/migrated positions.
– A total of 9,599 positions remain unfilled, and 36,773 ARMM-era items remain unmigrated, with Sulu facing critical risks affecting more than 3,000 teachers and staff.
– School-less barangay coverage remains incomplete, with 17 barangay still unreached.
– Large numbers of volunteer teachers continue to fill workforce gaps but face low honoraria, lack of formal recognition and absence of institutional safeguards.
– Indigenous people’s education funding remains extremely low at P2,800,000, with no dedicated budget for school facilities.
– Alternative Learning System centers remain insufficient, with only one functional center in Basilan serving 34 communities.
– Major supply gaps persist: 277,817 learners lack textbooks and 757,379 learners have yet to receive their learners’ kits.
– BARMM records a functional illiteracy rate of 38.3 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 30.6 percent and the highest among all regions.
– Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers performance of teachers in BARMM are identified as low-performing, with the region placing 34th out of 39 nationwide.
– The dropout rate in BARMM colleges reaches 90 percent, far exceeding the national average of 35.39 percent.
– Only 18.7 percent of college-age students in BARMM are enrolled in higher education, the lowest participation rate in the country compared to the national average of 28.7 percent.
There is also an overhead cost of P160 million for the feeding program for the nutrition-deficient children of the BARMM. And what nutritious food did they give the children? Dried herring (tuyo) and stewed mung beans (munggo) that were just wrapped in cellophane. This is already the everyday fare of the children, so why give them more of the same?
I was a consultant at the Department of Education and one of the projects that I evaluated was the nutrition program in Southern Luzon. The nutrition and feeding programs were organized. The garden plots in the elementary schools were planted to pechay, eggplants, okra and other vegetables.
Moreover, the backyard was lined with malunggay trees. The fish, chicken and red meat were sourced directly from the producers, to cut costs. Food was prepared in the canteen, and the students were summoned in batches to eat by the sound of a buzzer. Why could they not do this efficient method in the Bangsamoro region?
“In view of these, and given the gravity of the findings and the enormity of the amount involved, we are of the considered view that the gains of good and moral governance enunciated by the former chief minister, and which we are currently pursuing, are in serious jeopardy,” Macacua wrote.
“Public trust in the BARMM has been seriously eroded,” he stressed.
The moral arc of the universe bends toward justice. Mohagher Iqbal played a major role in the creation of the BARMM. Unfortunately, he is now facing grave charges that don’t bode well for him as a leader of the land.
