Saturday, July 19, 2008 Cotabato objects to inclusion in proposed MILF area By Ben O. Tesiorna
THE Provincial Government of North Cotabato is opposing its inclusion in the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) that will be placed under the control of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The Provincial Board led by Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol said it plans to file a case before the Supreme Court compelling the National Government to divulge the official list of provinces, towns, and barangays to be included in the BJE.
At the moment, Piñol said, all they have are hearsays on the areas that are to be included in the proposed BJE. He said it is for this reason that they want to seek the help of the SC in making the record straight before it's too late.
Piñol said he is meeting with an SC justice to discuss what possible case they could file. A writ of mandamus is the one being eyed by Piñol.
Aside from the planned SC case, the Provincial Government also passed two resolutions last July 15 expressing its "strong and vehement opposition to the inclusion of North Cotabato and areas within its political jurisdiction in the plebiscite to determine the territories of the expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao."
The other resolution urged and authorized Governor Jesus Sacdalan "to seek legal redress against the inclusion of North Cotabato."
Piñol on Friday said the people of North Cotabato have long been opposed to the inclusion of their province in Armm.
He added that this was manifested in the 2001 plebiscite where North Cotabato voted overwhelmingly against the proposal to include the province in Armm.
According to him, the decision to include North Cotabato in BJE areas was made without consulting the people and was in violation of the Local Government Code, which "requires all national agencies and offices to conduct periodic consultations with appropriate local government units, non-government and people's organizations, and other concerned sectors of the community before any project or program is implemented in their respective jurisdictions" as stated in Section 2(c) of Republic Act 7160.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr. earlier said that a plebiscite will determine the composition of the new territory to be considered the ancestral homeland of three million Moros in Mindanao.
The territory referred to as the BJE is the "current" autonomous region, which may be expanded to include 712 barangays in five provinces in Central Mindanao.
The five provinces are Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga-Sibugay, and Palawan.
Esperon said the new territory would cover a "considerable" land area. If the residents agree to be included in the new territory through the plebiscite, their barangays or towns will comprise an expanded Armm.
