MAYOR Sebastian Duterte signed an executive order creating the Davao City Muslim Affairs Office (DCMAO) under the Office of the City Mayor.
The new office was established through the EO 19 series of 2024 signed by the city mayor on June 6.
“DCMAO shall act as the primary agency of the City Government of Davao in ensuring the preservation and development of the culture, traditions, institutions, and well-being of Muslim residents of Davao City,” EO Section 4 states.
The functions of the office will be subject to the existing laws, rules regulations, and guidelines provided by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), on top of the duties as stated in the EO.
The EO states that the office will be composed of deputy mayors for each of the Muslim Tribes in the city namely, Iranun, Kagan, Sama, Maguindanaon, Maranao, and Tausug.
The six deputy mayors will endorse one appointee or nominee to the OCM who will be appointed as the Executive Program Director of the Davao City Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotion Unit.
The deputy mayors are attached to the Barangay and Cultural Communities Affairs Division under the OCM, which shall oversee its daily functions of the city’s Muslim affairs.
Section 6 of the EO requires the creation of the Davao City Muslim Sectoral Council (DCMSC) under the office.
The council will comprise deputy mayors and the appointed sectoral representatives from the sectors: youth, council elders, women, Islamic religious representatives following the Mufti of Region 11, business, special concerns for children, Muslim education, and Balik Islam.
The funding will be sourced from the available funds of the OCM.
“There is a need to create a local office which will specifically cater to the needs of Muslims within the City and to promote equality and unity among Dabawenyos,” the EO states.
