BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines – Hundreds of personnel of the Mindanao State University (MSU) satellite campus here are assured to receive for the first time their share of “Ramadhan bonus” under their current Catholic administrator encouraging his Muslim brethren to observe meaningfully the Islamic fasting month with “little but sincere” gift from the government.

Professor Lorenzo Reyes, chancellor of the MSU-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography (MSU-TCTO), said the initial grant of P1,000 across the board has been approved by the MSU System’s Board of Regents (BoR) in its recent meeting for his campus’ almost 800 workforce.

Ramadhan is likely to start on August 1, thence all able-bodied and minded Muslims worldwide would abstain from food, drinks, sex, and ill manners from dawn to dusk for one whole month in fulfillment of the one of the five pillars of Islam.

“This grant of bonus in time for this coming month of Ramadhan will augment whatever amount of savings being kept by our MSU-TCTO employees to observe the 30-day period of fasting more meaningfully,” Reyes said in a statement sent to the Manila Bulletin.

Reyes, a devout Catholic born in Barangay Buan, Paglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi, said the first “Ramadhan bonus” of his personnel is to be drawn from the meager savings of his campus.

He expressed hope that Congress would be able to enact a law providing regular bonus for Ramadhan observance just the way Christmas bonuses are authorized under the law.

The campus chancellor has two sisters, Hadja Teresita Reyes and Conchita Reyes-Kingking, who both have embraced Islam, and a cousin, MSU-TCTO Professor Al Haj Alfredo Matolo, who is also a devout Muslim.

Reyes said he has observed that during Ramadhan, Muslims no matter how poor spend a lot for their “iftar” (breaking fast) and “sahoor” (after midnight dinner).

Professor Abdurizal Eldani, special executive assistant to the MSU-TCTO head, said his peers are all praises for the grant of the “Ramadhan bonus” for the first time in their campus.

“This is the first time ever for a head of this far-flung MSY branch to have thought of planting a seed of goodness and generosity in time for the observance of the holy month of Ramadan,” Eldani said.