THE Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) has institutionalized a unified barangay planning system through the new Bangsamoro Barangay Development Plan (BBDP) 2026–2028, with 55 pilot Barangay Local Government Units (BLGUs) across Barmm leading its implementation.
The 55 pilot village were selected from Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, the Special Geographic Area, and Cotabato City.
The Ministry of Interior and Local Government in Barmm (MILG-Barmm), has turned over on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, the BBDP handbook to village chairpersons and secretaries, marking the rollout of a new planning framework aimed at strengthening grassroots governance in Barmm.
Engineer Khalid Dumagay, director-general of MILF-Barmm, said the three-year plan sets policy guidelines, priority programs, projects, and activities designed to help villages achieve their development goals while aligning local priorities with regional and national standards.
Dumagay said the BBDP serves as a “planning framework” anchored on local realities and national standards while remaining distinctly Bangsamoro in character.
Dumagay reminded local officials that their “leadership will be measured not by plans drafted, but by outcomes delivered,” underscoring the importance of planning in governance.
The initiative supports the 12-Point Agenda of Barmm, which promotes moral governance, institutional reform, peace and order, economic stability, and inclusive social services—priorities that MILG said require disciplined implementation at the barangay level.
“Transformation begins at the barangay level,” Dumagay said in a statement.
The MILG-Barmm led the formulation of the BBDP through a series of inclusive and participatory sessions under its Bangsamoro Barangay Newly Elected Officials Program with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and civil society organizations. (SunStar Zamboanga)