On Friday, December 18, 2020, the Bangsamoro government will launch the most prestigious award for excellence in Local Governance called the Salamat Excellence Award for Leadership or SEAL in memory of the late Ameer-ul-Mujahideen Salamat Hashim, founding chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

On this day, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will also recognize and award functional local government units within the autonomous region under the local Local Government Functional Appraisal (LoGFA).

It will also award barangays whose Lupon Tagapamayapa have excelled in settling disputes in their communities under the Lupon Tagapamayapa Incentive Award (LTIA).

The BARMM’s Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) should be lauded in introducing this program. Recognizing achievements of local government officials no matter how small they may be can encourage them more to make their local government units effectively functional and work hard for the welfare of their constituents especially in areas where for so long a time local governance is hardly felt.

MILG Minister Naguib Sinarimbo, a lawyer, deserves our heartfelt congratulations for the job well done. We also congratulate other ministries who have done well in performing their respective functions, and most especially to the Bangsamoro leader, Chief Minister Ahod “Haji Murad Ebrahim” Balawag. (Muslimedia.PH)