THE SEAT for the Indigenous People’s Mandatory Representative in Baguio is open, keeping Roger Sinot’s elusive take over at bay.
National Commission for Indigenous Peoples Regional Director Roland Calde said until a consensus is reached by Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) groups in the city, the seat remains open for another election if deemed necessary.
Calde said the NCIP is bringing back the issues hounding Sinot to the Ibaloi, Kalanguya and Kankana-ey groups in another round of assemblies to decide if they will uphold his previous selection as IPMR representative or decide to go through another selection process.
The NCIP official said with protests against the previous selection of Sinot, the NCIP has decided to create a body to oversee the new round of talks with the three groups involved.
Calde said allegations of the Kalanguya and Kankana-ey groups alleging they were not included in the selection process weighed the heaviest to compel the NCIP in pushing for another round of talks saying other issues hounding Sinot are just minor problems.
Calde admitted the NCIP has its flaws in the previous process which Sinot emerged as the winner of a vote done by a group of 300 members of mostly Ibaloi lineage.
Calde added there was a general the lack of interest from groups to participate in the information dissemination was cited by Calde as well as the selection process which reflects on how the NCIP conducted campaigns for the historic vote for IPMR representative.
In November, Sinot bested four others in a bid to become the first Ibaloi IPMR of Baguio, leading the tally with 89 votes followed by his closest contender Jackson Chiday with 53 while Vicky Macay, Basilio Binayan and Philip Canuto trailed.
Calde said the commission is saddled with budgetary problems on how to conduct the second round of voting bringing the concern to the central office to augment funds needed for the gatherings.
Sinot was hoping the Ibaloi selection process will prevail and be allowed to take his seat in the local council.
The former barangay chairman recently admitted to a case of moral turpitude against him stemming from a land dispute in Nueva Viscaya where he was convicted of theft and served his three month sentence for allegedly stealing two truckloads of sand.
Under Section 10 of the NCIP guidelines an IPMR representative may be disqualified if he is “sentenced by final judgement for an offices involving moral turpitude for an offense punishable by one year or more of imprisonment, within two years after serving his sentence.”
Sinot also admits to be a registered voter in Kayapa, Nueva Viscaya in the last election, despite acquiring his voter’s registration in the city which violates section 9 of the NCIP guidelines stating a candidate “must be a registered voter in the barangay, municipality, city, province or district where he or she intends to assume office.”
Calde assured the process will be done within the year.