25 Badjaus in Sulu learn livelihood skills, basic financial management

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December 23, 2025 | 6:26pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Experts from the social services ministry of the Bangsamoro region trained 25 Badjau mendicants from across Tapul town in Sulu on basic livelihood and management skills for two days, as part of the preparation for their introduction into mainstream society.

Officials of the Ministry of Social Services and Development-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao told reporters on Tuesday, December 23, that last week’s training for the 25 Badjaus in Tapul was part of MSSD-BARMM’s Layag Badjau Program, a capacity-building initiative aiming to hone members of the downtrodden ethnic group on livelihood skills that can generate for them income they can spend for their daily needs.

The Supreme Court took Sulu out of BARMM’s core territory in 2024, as petitioned years prior by then Gov. Hadji Abdusakur Tan Sr., but agencies of the Bangsamoro regional government continued operating in all of the municipalities in the province.

Bangsamoro Social Services Minister Raissa Jajurie and her subordinate-officials in the MSSD-BARMM's office in Sulu separately told reporters on Tuesday that the 25 Badjaus were trained in propagation of carrageenan seaweeds, a thriving industry in island towns in Sulu and in Tawi-Tawi and in parts of Basilan and in the Zamboanga peninsula.

“We in the BARMM regional government are doing our best to make the Badjau community become productive, make them thrive in peace in the local communities,” Jajurie said.

Jajurie, who is also a member of the 80-seat Bangsamoro regional parliament, said each of the 25 participants to the training received from the MSSD-BARMM a P15,000 start-up capital for their carrageenan propagation projects and solar lighting facilities.

Processed carrageenan, most known in southern vernaculars as gusu and agar-agar, is used as food and medicine thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier and as additive for gelatinous types of health drinks and medical supplements.

MSSD information officers in their regional office in Cotabato City said the livelihood training for Badjaus in Tapul shall be replicated in other provinces and in the three cities in the autonomous region.

BARMM covers the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato, where the regional government’s capitol is located.

MSSD-BARMM information officers said the 25 Badjaus who participated in the December 18 to 19 livelihood training in Tapul were also lectured on how to efficiently handle and record their earnings from the seaweeds production ventures that other agencies under the Bangsamoro regional government shall help put up.  

BARMM's chief minister, Abdulrauf Macacua, said their agriculture and fisheries ministry will help the 25 Badjaus put up their offshore carrageenan farms.