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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Arroyo backs suspension of Armm polls
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo supports moves to postpone the August 11 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) to accommodate and give the peace negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) a chance to prosper.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said consensus to file a bill in the two branches of Congress was reached during the President's consultation meeting with Armm stakeholders held at the 6th Infantry Division headquarters at Camp Awang in Cotabato City.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
Dureza said that instead of holding a proclamation rally for the administration candidates in Armm, President Arroyo opted to hold the consultation.
"They have jointly arrived at a consensus and they will seek a postponement of the forthcoming August 11 Armm elections. The reason for the effort to postpone the elections is to give an opportunity and to give some space to the peace process to succeed since we have reached that strategic threshold of coming up with a settlement on the ancestral domain issue," he said.
Dureza said Representatives Datu Pax Mangandadatu of Sultan Kudarat, Yusop Jikiri of Sulu, and Nur Jaafar of Tawi-tawi will file the bill in the House while Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri will author the counterpart bill in the Senate.
He acknowledged that the move is already too close to the August 11 elections but the lawmakers would exert their "best effort" and eventually give the bill "attention accordingly."
"We leave therefore to the good judgment of Congress the final decision as to whether or not a postponement can be approved. So this will be a bill that will be filed and will be tackled hopefully by Congress after the President's State of the Nation Address (Sona)," he added.
Dureza said it is not yet certain if the President would certify the bill as urgent, but she is supporting the proposal.
He added that Arroyo during the consultation meeting also called on her allies in Congress especially in Armm to "support the postponement of the Armm elections."
Asked if Malacañang is eyeing any date when the Armm elections would be reset, Dureza said they are leaving it to the lawmakers to decide.
The MILF earlier called for the postponement of the Armm elections, which Presidential peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. endorsed after an agreement on ancestral domain agenda was reached during an executive meeting of the government and MILF panel in Kuala Lumpur last July 16.
The two panels would meet anew on July 24 to iron out the draft of the proposed memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain and set a date for the formal signing of the MOA.
Esperon and Dureza said the signing of the MOA would pave the way for the resumption of the formal talks, which has been on hold since late last year.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo, however, is against the suspension of the Armm elections.
"I believe that this election is not only for Armm but also in preparation for the 2010 elections," Melo said.
He asserted that the Armm elections will also give them the chance to determine if the country is ready for the 2010 automated elections.
But Melo clarified that this is just his personal opinion. He is leaving to Congress the decision to postpone or pursue the Armm elections.
"The decision lies in the hands of Congress on whether to suspend the regional elections or not," he said.
Meanwhile, the Comelec announced that the mock elections conducted in Armm was a success and generally peaceful.
With this, Melo hoped that the Armm elections would be as organized and peaceful as Tuesday's mock elections held in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, and Shariff Kabunsuan.
"The results were very encouraging, we hope that the Armm elections next month will be as accurate and peaceful as mock elections," he said.
A total of 400 selected individuals from the said provinces were picked to participate in the mock elections, which started at 9 a.m. until 12 noon. The counting of the votes only lasted an hour, after which it was transmitted to the main database at the Comelec main office in Manila. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (July 23, 2008 issue)
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