THE Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) remained to have the lowest number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases months after the first case was reported in the Philippines.

Minister Amirel Usman of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Barmm said the region has a "comparably low number of cases compared to other regions" in the country.

The Barmm Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) said the region has a total of 1,538 cases as of Thursday, October 22. Of the total, 443 are active cases.

Mimaropa has also recorded low cases at 1,881 after the Barmm, while the National Capital Region has the most cases at 178,623.

Minister Naguib Sinarimbo of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government in Barmm, said that P13 billion was allocated for the Barmm Response and Recovery Action Plan for Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2021), funded through the regional government's contingency plan.

Sinarimbo said the plan consists of different components that include programs and projects for access to basic services, transportation and communication, leadership and governance and strategic infrastructure, jobs generation and early recovery, among others. (SunStar Zamboanga)