Sectors in BARMM cooperating in Ramadan security, relief efforts

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February 25, 2026 | 4:18pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the cities and provinces in Region 12 have been considerably peaceful since Muslims in both areas started observing the Islamic Ramadan fasting on Thursday last week, February 19.

Brig. Gen. Jaysen De Guzman, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and Army Major Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara, commander of the Army’s 6^th Infantry Division, separately told reporters on Wednesday that they are grateful to local executives, Islamic missionaries and Moro community leaders for supporting the joint police-military Ramadan security measures in towns and cities in BARMM.

The 6th ID covers BARMM’s adjoining Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces and the region’s capital, Cotabato City. The division also has units in Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani provinces and in the cities of Tacurong, Koronadal and General Santos in Region 12.

“To all who are supporting our Ramadan security missions, we are thankful,” Cagara said.

De Guzman said local executives are helping PRO-BAR units secure the surroundings of mosques where Muslim villagers perform Ramadan worship rites.

Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during the Ramadan, which lasts from between 28-to 30 days based on the lunar Hijrah calendar, as a religious obligation. They focus on reparation for wrongdoings, reconciliation with adversaries and charitable works for the needy during the period.

Army Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, which is securing BARMM and Regions 9 and parts of Region 12, said local executives and volunteer community watchmen operating under their supervision are extensively involved in PRO-BAR and WestMinCom's joint Ramadan security operations.

Many members of the 80-seat Bangsamoro parliament, among them the lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo and the physician-ophthalmologist Kadil Sinolinding, Jr., who is also functioning as regional health minister on concurrent capacity, have on-going Ramadan outreach activities, launched a week before the fasting season started last February 19.

A team from Sinolinding’s office, led by Maugan Mosaid and Hamid Salik, have been facilitating civil service examination orientation sessions in batches for young, unemployed Muslim and Christian professionals from marginalized families for more than a week now as a Ramadan community service engagement.

Sinolinding said they have also organized additional emergency response teams of mixed Muslim and Christian employees of the Ministry of Health-BARMM as part of their emergency contingency for the whole duration of the Ramadan.  

“They are on standby, ready to respond to any emergency on a round-the-clock basis,” Sinolinding said.

A public service team from the office of Sinarimbo already distributed 2,621 bags of rice to villagers in different barangays in Cotabato City, the capital of BARMM, and in Barangay Datu Binasing in Pahamuddin town in Cotabato province since last week as a Ramadan offering.

Sinarimbo, who had served as local government minister of BARMM prior to his appointment as regional parliament member in March 2025 by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., said they will expand their Ramadan rice dispersal activities in Cotabato City and in barangays outside in the next two weeks.

BARMM Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua, who is chairman of the multi-sector Bangsamoro Regional Peace and Order Council, said on Wednesday that MILF commanders in Central Mindanao and in other southern regions are supporting the joint Ramadan community engagements of regional lawmakers and Muslim religious leaders.

“They are also helping the police and military maintain law and order in their communities since the onset of the holy month last week,” Macacua, also chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said.