BARMM residents, Muslim communities outside start Ramadan fasting season

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February 19, 2026 | 6:07pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and in other southern cities and provinces started their month-long Ramadan fasting season at dawn Thursday, February 19.

Physically-fit Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, which is a holy month in Islam, and focus on reparations for wrongdoings and reconciliation with adversaries as a religious obligation.

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five fundamentals of the Islamic faith, which include absolute belief in Allah, praying five times a day facing west, giving of alms to the poor and, for those who can afford the cost of travel, a pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia, the seat of the Islamic faith, even just once in a lifetime.

Two non-Muslim local executives, Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza of Cotabato and her counterpart in South Cotabato, Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. separately told reporters on Thursday that they will expand their humanitarian programs for their Muslim constituents during Ramadan as interfaith peacebuilding thrusts in support of the national government’s peace overture with southern Moro communities.

Tamayo, now in his third term as Cotabato governor and is presiding chairperson of the multi-sector Regional Peace and Order Council 12,  said he has requested the Police Regional Office 12 and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division to secure worship sites in all cities and provinces in Region 12 where Muslims perform extensive worship rites during Ramadan, which lasts between 28 to 30 days based on the lunar Hijrah calendar.

Three Muslim members of BARMM’s 80-seat parliament, the lawyers Jet Lim and Naguib Sinarimbo and the physician-ophthalmologist Kadil Sinolinding Jr. started their separate Ramadan humanitarian activities for Muslim constituents last Monday, all supported by their chief minister, Abdulrauf Macacua.

Macacua issued on Wednesday a memorandum, for all ministries and support agencies of the BARMM government, directing fasting employees and their officials to work straight from 7:30 a.m. till 3:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday so that they can leave their offices early and have enough time to prepare for their iftar, or first meal after a day-long fast.

Sinolinding, who is overseeing the Ministry of Health-BARMM, said all of their emergency response operations shall continue as usual during Ramadan season.

"We have organized teams of mixed Muslim and non-Muslim emergency responders to work together during Ramadan," Sinolinding said.

Bangsamoro Labor and Employment Minister Muslim Sema, who is chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, said members of the MNLF in all provinces and cities in BARMM shall support Ramadan security missions of the police and the military.

“Ramadan is a holy month in Islam. The Moro National Liberation Front shall help the police and military and local government units make it peaceful,” Sema said.

Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said they appreciate the commitments of the MNLF, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the provincial officials in Cotabato and South Cotabato provinces, and Macacua, who is BARMM's top official, to cooperate in maintaining law and order in predominantly Muslim communities for the whole duration of Ramadan.

“Our units in the Bangsamoro region, in Region 9 and in Region 12 shall also embark on community projects for Muslim communities during the month-long fasting season,” Gumiran said.