COTABATO CITY — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) inked partnership to promote safer and healthier schools across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the deployment of Ovicidal-Larvicidal Trap (OL Trap) Kits and Ovicidal-Larvicidal Pellets (OL Pellets) in various schools across the region.
The MOU was signed during the Bangsamoro Science and Technology Week (BSTW) 2026, with Acting Deputy Minister Atty. Bantuas M. Lucman and MOST Minister Baileng Mantawil.
The agreement establishes the respective roles and commitments of both ministries in the deployment, utilization, monitoring, and sustainability of the technology in participating schools.
Under the partnership, schools will gain access to preventive measures designed to help promote safer and healthier learning environments, while strengthening awareness among school communities on health, sanitation, and environmental safety.
The initiative underscores the MBHTE’s commitment to harnessing science, research, and innovation to protect the welfare of learners and educators and contribute to improved quality of education across the Bangsamoro.
Under the leadership of Interim Chief Minister and Concurrent MBHTE Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua, the MBHTE continues to emphasize the importance of collaboration among ministries and institutions in addressing community needs and improving the delivery of essential services.
By bringing preventive health technologies closer to schools, the initiative contributes to creating learning environments where students and educators can focus on teaching and learning in safer and healthier surroundings.
Through sustained cooperation between MBHTE and MOST, the initiative seeks to ensure that science-based solutions are not only introduced but properly utilized, monitored, and sustained for the long-term benefit of learners, educators, and communities throughout BARMM.
