12-Year-Old BARMM Town Lauded For Clean, Efficient Real Property Tax Administration
COTABATO CITY – The municipality of Datu Blah Sinsuat (DBS) in Maguindanao del Norte has been recognized for its efficient real property tax administration, a citation that business leaders say could further strengthen investor confidence in one of the most peaceful towns in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Bureau of Local Government Finance–BARMM (BLGF-BARMM) granted the special citation to DBS over the weekend, citing the LGU’s “extensive revenue-generating measures” and its accurate and systematized real property documentation across the municipality.
DBS, a 12-year-old coastal town carved out of Upi by the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), sits about 40 kilometers from Cotabato City and is home to 13 beachfront barangays. Many people has regarded the place as the most peaceful municipality in Maguindanao del Norte.
BARMM Business sector upbeat
For local entrepreneurs, the recognition validates the town’s effort to create a stable environment for investments.
“We in the Bangsamoro region are happy with the citation. This is something we can use to attract investors from nearby provinces and even from abroad,” said lawyer-entrepreneur Ronald Hallid Torres, chair of the Bangsamoro Business Council.
Torres also heads the Regional Advisory Group of the Police Regional Office–BARMM. He emphasized that DBS’ peace and order situation—only four documented crimes since 2021, all quickly resolved—adds to the town’s advantage.
Improved revenue mapping
BLGF-BARMM noted that the municipality increased the market value of fully documented real properties to P68.7 billion, the result of extensive field surveys and updated tax mapping.
Mayor Raida Tomawis-Sinsuat, working closely with barangay leaders and the local police, has maintained security in the ethnically mixed municipality composed of Maguindanaons, Christians, and Teduray communities.
Award received in Cagayan de Oro
Municipal treasurer lawyer Abdul Wadud Salem, along with assessor’s office staff Rowena Ortuoste and Al-Raimen Adam, received the citation during ceremonies held in Cagayan de Oro City over the weekend.
The recognition forms part of BLGF-BARMM’s ongoing evaluation of local government units’ fiscal governance—an important component of BARMM’s push for stronger local autonomy and sustainable economic development.
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