Five coastal villages in Maguindanao’s town of Datu Blah Sinsuat are recipients of PHP3.5 million worth of barangay halls each from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the region’s spokesperson said Monday.

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, the BARMM interior minister and concurrent regional spokesperson, said a memorandum of agreement (MOA) was inked for the purpose between the region’s Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) and Datu Blah Mayor Marshal Sinsuat on Sunday.

The “state of the art” village hall buildings will rise in the coastal villages of Pura, Tubuan, Tambak, Resa, and Nalkan, which have had no such structures since the town was created on Oct. 28, 2006.

The MOA signing coincided with the culmination of the First Layag Festival of Datu Blah town. Sinarimbo represented BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim to the event.

“The Layag Festival intends to showcase the traditional sailboat used as transport by this community in the olden times as well the beautiful and rich marine resources of Datu Blah town,” Sinarimbo said.

As of the 2020 census, Datu Blah Sinsuat town has more than 28,000 residents. (PNA)