MP Benito, Bangsamoro Pilgrimage Authority formalize partnership for Umrah, Hajj assistance for 30 Bangsamoro Muslims, a long-held dream of pilgrimage moves closer to reality

COTABATO CITY, October 6, 2026 — For 30 Bangsamoro Muslims who have long dreamed of setting foot in the Holy Land, a journey that once seemed beyond their reach is now becoming possible.

The Office of Member of Parliament Abdulbasit R. Benito and the Bangsamoro Pilgrimage Authority (BPA) formalized a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the implementation of an Umrah and Hajj assistance program funded under Benito’s 2026 Transitional Development Impact Fund (TDIF).

Under the agreement, Benito is sponsoring 20 Umrah slots and 10 Hajj slots for qualified beneficiaries, including poor Bangsamoro families, former combatants, and ordinary members of the community who have limited financial means to undertake the pilgrimage.

For Benito, the initiative is more than a government-funded program. It is about helping Muslims fulfill a dream deeply rooted in their faith.

“As a Muslim, travelling to this holy site to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam is a great dream of every Muslim believer. But for an ordinary Bangsamoro who has no means to fulfill this obligation, it can be an impossible dream,” Benito said.

He said being given the opportunity to help make that dream possible is among the accomplishments he values most during his service in Parliament.

“For me, having the opportunity to sponsor 20 slots for Umrah and 10 slots for Hajj is one of my greatest achievements in Parliament. I am honored to be an instrument in making the impossible dreams of our beneficiaries a reality,” he said.

Benito said he is particularly grateful that the program will benefit people who may otherwise have little or no opportunity to undertake the pilgrimage because of financial limitations.

“For many of them, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime journey. To be able to help them reach the Holy Land is a privilege and an amanah—a trust and responsibility that I am honored to carry,” he said.

He added that his service as a public servant is not measured only by programs and projects, but also by the lives touched and dreams made possible through public service.

“As public servants and Muslim believers, we seek reward not only in this world but also in the Hereafter, in the Yawm al-Qiyamah,” Benito said.

The ceremonial signing with the BPA marks the formalization of the partnership and the shared commitment to ensure that the pilgrimage assistance reaches qualified beneficiaries.

For the 30 beneficiaries, the agreement represents more than a government program. It opens a door to a journey they may have once considered impossible—a journey toward the fulfillment of a deeply held religious dream.