Over 400,000 kids in BARMM vaccinated vs measles, rubella

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February 4, 2026 | 7:06pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Health workers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have vaccinated 400,740 children against measles and rubella in the past two weeks, regional officials and local executives announced on Wednesday, February 4.

Jet Lim, spokesperson of the BARMM parliament, said the feat was achieved with the support of Muslim religious leaders who helped disprove fallacies and superstitions about vaccines via lectures on Islamic teachings on health care and obligatory cross-sectional disease prevention efforts. 

The vaccination drive was launched on January 19 in the BARMM capitol in Cotabato City by regional officials, led by BARMM’s chief minister, Abdulrauf Macacua, Bangsamoro Health Minister Kadil Sinolinding Jr., the physician Enrique Tayag, a former health undersecretary, and representatives from the Mindanao office of the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The physician-ophthalmologist Sinolinding, who is also a member of BARMM’s 80-seat parliament, told reporters on Wednesday that he is thankful to their provincial officials and their subordinates in the five provinces and three cities in the autonomous region for their diligent enforcement of the national government’s measles and rubella vaccination campaign in areas under their jurisdiction.

Reports from employees of the Ministry of Health-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces and in the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato stated that as of Tuesday, 69 percent of the children in BARMM’s Muslim, Christian and non-Moro indigenous communities had been vaccinated with measles and rubella vaccines since February 19.

“That was achieved with the help of local government units in the autonomous region and with the active involvement of the office of our chief minister in that health initiative,” Sinolinding said.  

Sinolinding said the MoH-BARMM is also grateful to all physicians managing the Integrated Provincial Health Offices in Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and their personnel for actively pushing forward the measles and rubella vaccination thrusts in all towns in the five provinces.

He said the mayors in BARMM's three cities, Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato are also in the forefront of the measles and rubella vaccination campaign, to last until February 13.