Officials launched on Wednesday, October 8, the Bangsamoro Regional Hospital and Medical Center in Datu Hoffer town in Maguindanao del Sur, the first ever largest and well-equipped hospital in the autonomous region.
The BRHMC was established by the 80-member parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao via the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act 74 that three regional lawmakers, the physician-ophthalmologist Kadil Sinolinding, Jr., the lawyer Sittie Fahanie Oyod and the civil engineer Baintan Ampatuan, together authored.
Sinolinding is also functioning as BARMM’s regional health minister in a concurrent capacity.
The BAA Act 74, which 34 other regional lawmakers supported, was approved by the 80-member BARMM parliament during final deliberations on May 26, 2025.
BARMM’s deputy health minister, Zul Qarneyn Abas, Ampatuan, Uyod, representatives of the region’s chief minister, Abdulrauf Macacua, the chief of the Integrated Provincial Health Office-Maguindanao, Mohammad Ariff Baguindali, and other members of the parliament together led Wednesday’s launching of the BRHMC.
The event, also attended by provincial officials from BARMM’s Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces, was held at the compound of the IPHO-Maguindanao, where the 52-year Maguindanao Provincial Hospital is located, which got replaced then with the modern and well-equipped BRHMC.
“The setting up of Bangsamoro Regional Hospital and Medical Center is a big help for residents of the Bangsamoro region. We are grateful to the Bangsamoro parliament for having established this,” said the physician Baguindali, who, as IPHO-Maguindanao chief, shall also oversee the BRHMC.
Baguindali and provincial officials in the Bangsamoro region’s Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces, took turns thanking, during Wednesday’s symbolic event, the BARMM parliament for having passed the BAA 74 into a regional law.
“We are also thankful to the chief minister of the Bangsamoro region, who leads the regional parliament, for having signed into law, without hesitation, the approved bill that enabled the creation of this hospital,” Baguindali said.
Sinolinding said the Ministry of Health-BARMM shall support the operation of the BRHMC extensively.
Ampatuan told reporters at the sideline of the inauguration of the BRHMC that the facility shall have an initial P50 million initial budget from the region’s coffer for this year.
“The succeeding allocations for its operation shall be included, by phases, in the annual appropriations for the expenditures of the regional government,” Ampatuan said.
Baguindali said the BRHMC shall operate on a “zero billing policy” for all of its patients.
Photo shows that entrance to the BRHMC, which was opened to the public on Wednesday. (October 9, 2025, Maguindanao del Sur, Bangsamoro Region)