COTABATO PROVINCE, Philippines โ Malnourished Moro children in two predominantly Muslim communities received rice and other basic food supplies this week as part of a continuing humanitarian campaign led by a member of the Bangsamoro Parliament.
Municipal officials from Datu Montawal in Maguindanao del Sur and Old Kaabacan in the Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area (BSGA) said the relief missions were conducted on Monday, December 15, by the community service team of Bangsamoro lawmaker Kadil Sinolinding Jr.
Sinolinding, an ophthalmologist by profession, is also serving in a concurrent capacity as minister of the Ministry of Health of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
In Barangay Tungol, Datu Montawal, at least 18 malnourished children from several villages benefited from the outreach, according to barangay chair Jimmy Matalam Montawal. The food packs were turned over to parents in the presence of barangay officials and rural health workers.
โWe will assist the office of Health Minister Sinolinding in closely monitoring the condition of these children so their recovery can be accelerated,โ Montawal said.
In nearby Old Kaabacan, parents of 79 malnourished children received similar food assistance, barangay officials said. Aharrah Tambak, nutritionist at the Old Kaabacan Rural Health Unit, confirmed the distribution and said the children are among those under regular nutritional monitoring.
Old Kaabacan is located close to Datu Montawal, with most residents relying on farming and fishing in rivers and wetlands linked to the 220,000-hectare Ligawasan Delta.
The food distribution forms part of Sinolindingโs wider campaign against child malnutrition across eight towns in the BSGA, as well as in the neighboring municipalities of Datu Montawal and Pagalungan in Maguindanao del Sur.
The initiative is being carried out with the support of BARMM Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua.
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