BARMM FAMILY WEEK. Officials and employees of the Bureau of Cultural Heritage¬¬-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BCH-BARMM) joins the opening program and parade for the 27th National Family Week celebration held inside the BARMM compound in Cotabato City that kicked off Monday (Sept. 23, 2019). It is the first time that the BARMM joined the celebration following the new region’s formation earlier this year. (Photo courtesy of BCH-BARMM)
COTABATO CITY -- The family takes center stage in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as the new political entity joined the celebration of the 27th National Family Week starting Monday.
The weeklong activity kicked off Monday with a parade around Shariff Kabunsuan Complex, the 10-hectare BARMM administrative seat in this city, as joined in by the regional offices and attached agencies.
Spearheaded by the BARMM Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), the celebration aims to strengthen the Filipino family unity and relationship through meaningful celebration and promotion of Filipino values.
During a short program, lawyer Raissa Jajurie, the MSSD-BARMM minister, stressed the importance of family in the Bangsamoro.
“Family is the basic unit of our society. The stronger the family you have, the stronger the society we can have,” she said. “By the essence of our brotherhood and sisterhood in Islam, the Bangsamoro is, indeed, one family that we have to strengthen to continue our national development efforts and initiative," Jajurie said.
Meanwhile, the family of Bangsamoro Grand Mufti Abu Huraira Udasan of the Regional Darul Iftah of the Bangsamoro was hailed as the 2019 Model Family (line agency category), while Hanan Haji Mohammad’s family from Lanao Sur-A was awarded 2019 Huwarang Pamilya from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) by the MSSD.
Both families received PHP15,000 cash prize each. Farouk Abbas’ family from Calanogas, Lanao del Sur, the 2018 4Ps awardee for Huwarang Pamilya, was also recognized as one of the participants during the program and received PHP5,000 cash prize.
Special awards were also given to the Office of the Chief Minister for the most number of participants; Minister of Transportation and Communications (MOTC–BARMM) for best T-shirt layout; Ministry of Environment, National Resources and Energy (MENRE-BARMM) as early birds; among others.
The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples' Affairs (MIPA) also received an award for being the first agency to hang 27th National Family Week banners in its office.
This year’s National Family Week observance carries the theme, “Tungo sa Maginhawa, Matatag, at Panatag na Pamilyang Pilipino.” (PNA)
