The Ministry of Basic Higher and Technical Education–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTE-BARMM) has issued an order to fast-track the early release of salaries for all teaching personnel in the region for this month.

The MBHTE-BARMM directive came after President Rodrigo Duterte’s issuance of Presidential Proclamation 922 placing the entire country under a state of public health emergency amid threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“We made this move to ensure that our employees can act accordingly and finance their necessities in this time of pandemic condition,” MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal said in an interview Thursday.

The MBHTE is the largest ministry in the BARMM, covering 60 percent of the workforce in the entire region. It has over 20,000 teaching personnel under its supervision.

“Therefore, it is our responsibility to aid them as much as we could extend in this kind of situation,” Iqbal said.

The salary release will also cover the contract of service and casual employees of the ministry.

On top of this, the ministry has also requested the salary differentials for their employees to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) through the region’s Ministry of Finance and Budget Management.

“The focus of the Bangsamoro government now is to keep our employees and constituents safe while helping them in the best manner that we can,” he said.

Iqbal urged the employees to do wise and prudent spending of money, especially in this time of crisis. (PNA)