11 BARMM Scholars from Poor Moro Families Graduate with High Honors

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Eleven college scholars of Bangsamoro regional lawmaker Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba have graduated with high honors, marking a significant achievement for students from poor Moro families in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). These 11 students, who completed various four-year courses this year, received financial backing through a special program from Dumama-Alba's office. The initiative is part of the BARMM government's broader efforts to provide quality education and foster peace and community empowerment across the region's five provinces and three cities. Radio reports highlighted that seven scholars graduated Cum Laude from institutions including Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, Cotabato State University (CSU), and Basilan State College in Isabela City, Basilan. Among them were Norham Jamaloden, Rohailah Laguindab, Mosaib Lazim, Johara Manirigi, and Michael Purong (MSU Marawi), Alia Abdullah (CSU), and Shuraim Sali (Basilan State College). Further distinctions were awarded to Faisal Samsodin, who graduated Summa Cum Laude from MSU in Marawi City. Adam Nanding from CSU, and Bai Banal Ado and Almera Mantil from the MSU-Maguindanao campus, both graduated Magna Cum Laude. Parents of the graduates expressed profound gratitude to Dumama-Alba's office, noting that the scholarship support was crucial for their children's education, which would have been unsustainable with their meager daily earnings. Adam Nanding shared his personal experience, stating, "The Kaalalai Scholarship Program was, for me, a source of strength during the difficult periods of my life as a student. It inspired me a lot to keep going, despite the financial difficulties I was in then. I shall always be grateful for the opportunity it gave me to finish a college degree." Nanding's relatives recounted his struggles, having lost his father in grade school and persevering through elementary and high school without adequate financial resources. This program exemplifies a targeted approach to educational empowerment, aiming to break cycles of poverty through academic achievement in the BARMM.