COTABATO CITY — For many in the Bangsamoro still trying to rebuild their lives from decades of conflict, a driver’s license is more than a piece of plastic — it is a ticket to livelihood, dignity, and a new beginning.

This week, 200 aspiring drivers, many of them poor and some former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), received assistance to secure free driving licenses under separate outreach programs led by two members of the Bangsamoro regional parliament.

The beneficiaries are currently training to operate tricycles, passenger motorcycles, jeepneys, and trucks — the backbone of everyday mobility across Cotabato City, the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte, and the eight newly created municipalities in the Special Geographic Areas of Cotabato province under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) .

The initiative, local leaders say, is part of a broader push to make economic reintegration more accessible for communities often left behind.

“We want to open real opportunities for our people,” said BARMM lawmaker Naguib Sinarimbo, whose outreach team is helping 100 applicants obtain licenses from the Bangsamoro Land Transportation Office. “A driver’s license can immediately translate to livelihood — and livelihood reduces vulnerability to conflict.”

Another 100 applicants will obtain free licenses through the office of Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr., an ophthalmologist-turned-lawmaker who also serves as BARMM’s health minister. Sinolinding is concurrently a BARMM lawmaker.

“This is empowerment through mobility,” Sinolinding said. “When a father or mother gains the ability to drive legally and safely, the whole family benefits.”

Radio reports from Cotabato City on Friday confirmed the rollout of the two programs, which have received backing from BARMM Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua.

To ensure safety and compliance, physicians from the Ministry of Health–BARMM will conduct physical assessments of all applicants to determine if they are fit to operate public utility vehicles.

For many beneficiaries — including those who once fought in the mountains — the chance to earn a legal income behind the wheel marks another step toward normalcy, stability, and hope in the Bangsamoro’s continuing peace process.

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John Unson and Antonio Manaytay

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