26/08/2026
The Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission, through Basilan Provincial Director Atty. Alman-Najar L. Namla, took part in a dialogue convened by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos with the Professional Regulation Commission on reported difficulties encountered by Muslim women wearing the hijab in transacting with the PRC.
The concern involved reports that Muslim women applicants were being asked to expose their ears during identification photo capture, and that some were prevented from proceeding with their transactions.
The dialogue drew the participation of the NCMF leadership and its regional offices in ZamBaSulTa. Present were Commissioner Hussin Amin, Commissioner Abunnapis Abdul Majid, and Commissioner Bae Baicon Cayongkat-Nuska, together with Chief of Staff Atty. Hassanal H. Abdurahim. Congressman Ustadz Yusop T. Alano was also in attendance, lending legislative weight to the concern.
The regional offices most directly affected were represented by Director Rhoaisa S. Matolo-Mukaram of NCMF Region IX-A and Director Nehri A. Tan of NCMF Region IX-B, alongside Atty. Ibn Ismael Sappayani, Head of the Legal Division of NCMF Region IX-B, whose office covers the constituencies from which many of the reports originated. Ustadz Alzad Sattar likewise took part, providing the perspective of the religious sector on the obligations at issue.
The NCMF Gender and Development Focal Point System Technical Working Group, which evaluated the referral, found clear implications on gender responsiveness, religious accommodation, and the protection of Muslim women's rights in accessing government services. It recommended direct coordination with the PRC to clarify existing policy, identify the source of the difficulties, and explore a formal harmonized policy.
In the dialogue, PRC Assistant Commissioner Louis P. Valera clarified that a review of PRC records disclosed no policy requiring Muslim women to expose their ears. He characterized the difficulty as a misinterpretation, likely an overhang of an unrelated protocol read as applying to Muslim women applicants, and noted that the uneven practice across regional offices confirmed that no such rule existed. He gave the assurance that considerations arising from religious belief occupy a high place in the Commission's hierarchy of concern. PRC officials advised that the corresponding item in the LERIS online system would be removed and that a memorandum circular would be issued to guide all regional offices.
For BHRC Basilan, the matter goes beyond a procedural clarification. Access to professional licensure determines livelihood. When a requirement with no basis in any issuance stands between a Bangsamoro woman and the practice of her profession, the resulting injury is economic as much as it is religious. That the requirement was never policy does not lessen what the affected applicants experienced.
The Commission recognizes the responsiveness of the NCMF and the PRC, and will continue to monitor the issuance of the memorandum circular and the situation of applicants already affected.
