COTABATO CITY โ In the isolated village of Simsiman in Pahamuddin, a newly established town in Cotabato province, 73 elderly Moro residents received critical eye care on Tuesday, part of a continuing outreach effort led by regional officials and private health advocates.
The mission, which included basic checkups and the distribution of free reading glasses, was spearheaded by Dr. Kadil Monera Sinolinding Jr.
Sinolinding is the Bangsamoro regionโs health minister and a sitting member of the 80-seat Bangsamoro Parliament. An ophthalmologist, he is set to personally perform surgery next week on 26 of the patients who were diagnosed with cataracts and pterygium โ treatable conditions that can lead to impaired vision if left unaddressed.
Eye Care Mission Jointly Organized
The effort was jointly organized by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)โs Ministry of Health, the Office of Chief Minister Abdulraof Abdul Macacua, the Deseret Ambulatory Referral Center Foundation in Kabacan, and the Maguindanao Professionals and Employees Association. Health workers on-site also distributed prescription reading glasses to 36 residents, provided by private donors.
Pahamuddin, located in Region 12, is one of eight newly formed municipalities under the Bangsamoro government, carved out as part of an ongoing effort to decentralize services and bring governance closer to marginalized communities.
Eye Care Across BARMM
Since 2022, BARMM officials say the health ministry, under Sinolindingโs leadership, has delivered free eye care to more than 7,000 residents across the autonomous region โ part of a broader campaign to extend healthcare access in historically underserved areas.
Local radio reports from Cotabato City and nearby provinces on Wednesday highlighted the continued challenges of delivering medical services to far-flung areas like Simsiman, but noted that efforts such as this are gradually bridging the gap.
As the Bangsamoro government seeks to establish its presence in newly created towns like Pahamuddin, community-level interventions such as Tuesdayโs eye care mission serve as tangible evidence of progress in a region long affected by conflict and neglect.
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