MAYOR Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar believes that there must have been a group behind the apparent snowballing move in Zamboanga Peninsula to include some areas in the January 21, 2019 plebiscite for ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
The conduct of the plebiscite will determine that areas that will compose the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao (Barm), which will replace the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm).
Salazar on Thursday, December 6, issued the statement following reports that certain villages in the neighboring province of Zamboanga Sibugay, particularly in the town of Tungawan, had also petitioned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for their possible inclusion in the BOL plebiscite.
She said without elaboration that the manner by which the petitions were made was similar to that of the city’s island villages of Landang Gua and Busay.
As this developed, the city legal team headed by Lawyer Jesus Carbon, Jr. flew to Manila the other day and filed with the Comelec the city’s “Omnibus Verified Comment and Opposition” to the petitions of Landang Gua and Busay for their possible inclusion in the BOL plebiscite.
Salazar said she had instructed the city’s legal team to intervene and represent the voice of the majority of Zamboangueños that do not want to be part of the plebiscite, more so the city’s inclusion in the BARM.
The Comelec en banc is scheduled to hear the petitions of Landang Gua and Busay on Friday, December 7, thus the immediate petition to oppose. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)