THE Ministry of Social Services and Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MSSD-Barmm) is set to scale up its birth registration services and campaign against childhood statelessness after they received seven vehicles donated by the Government of Japan.
Lawyer Raissa Jajurie, MSSD minister, said five of the seven vehicles were formally turned over on Friday, December 5, at the Office of the Chief Minister grounds in Cotabato City, through assistance facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The other two vehicles had earlier been sent to MSSD offices in the provinces of Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.
Jajurie said the vehicles are expected to strengthen the MSSD’s free birth registration services, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, and the Special Geographic Area.
“These mobile vehicles are a great help in speeding up and expanding the delivery of free birth registration for every Bangsamoro,” Jajuri said in a statement Wednesday, December 10.
She noted that the effort is a critical gateway to essential government services.
“They will also strengthen our coordination with the Philippine Statistics Authority for mobile and digital-enabled registrations,” she added.
Japanese Minister for Economic Affairs Naobumi Yokota said the assistance forms part of Japan’s continuing support for the Mindanao peace process and socio-economic development, underscoring the active involvement of communities and youth in the initiative.
In addition to the vehicles, seed grants worth P50,000 each, along with advocacy materials, were awarded by Unicef Philippines to four Local Youth Development Offices (LYDOs) in Lanao del Sur under the Birth Registration Advocacy for Vulnerable Populations to End Childhood Statelessness (Brave) Project.
The LYDOs of Pagayawan, Lumbatan, Lumbayanague, and Marogong will use the grants to support youth networks in implementing birth registration advocacies in their respective localities. (SunStar Zamboanga)