LEVEL OF WAQF AWARENESS AMONG THE PEOPLE OF BANGSAMORO, PHILIPPINES

Abstract

This study aims to gauge Bangsamoro people's awareness of waqf institutions in the Philippines. In the Philippines, particularly in the regional center of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the institution of waqf has historically been used to establish mosques, Islamic schools, and a few social programs for underprivileged Muslims. Waqf has also been used for religious purposes in the Muslim community. However, the development of the institution of waqf in that region has almost stopped for various reasons. As such, the Muslim community's awareness of this institution, its importance, and the way it operates has been declining. On the other hand, the existence of waqf institutions still plays a role in raising people's awareness. Since raising awareness of any institution is the first step in developing it, the analysis focuses on how people are aware of waqf's existence, how it operates, and how they might use it in their communities. To meet the objective, the study used primary data collected from 204 respondents using a survey questionnaire. The data has been analyzed by the (SPSS) statistical package and Excel. The findings of the study show that although their basic knowledge of waqf is high, perhaps their knowledge and awareness of some specific current practices of waqf are rather low. The study may help lay the foundation for the application of waqf for poverty alleviation in the Philippines. This will also help policymakers address the main causes of the lack of awareness in that region.