Government has ‘not enough’ reasons to defer Armm polls

THE former lawmaker who authored the law that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) said the government has “not enough” reason to postpone the elections scheduled in August in Armm.
The need to implement reforms in the Armm is not enough grounds since it is a problem not exclusive to the region, said former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
“Kung yan po ang dahilan, then, I will say na ang 2013 elections, i-postpone na din dahil aayusin pa ang mga pagnanakaw sa gobyerno e. So, that is not an excuse to postpone the elections in the Armm,” Pimentel said during a recent Church-organized forum.
“In short, ang ating panawagan ay dapat ipagpatuloy ang Armm elections,” he furthered.
President Benigno Aquino III has long been advocating the deferment of the Armm polls, saying it should be synchronized with the national and local elections starting 2013.
Aquino also wants to appoint an officer-in-charge (OIC) in the region to supervise the necessary reforms in the region until the next elections.
Opposition to delay the Armm polls is strong because the moves are not initiated by the Moro leaders, unlike in previous instances, Pimentel said.
Moreover, people are not really comfortable with the idea of having OIC officials to be appointed by the national leadership running their region.
“Hindi po tama iyon. You will destroy, then, the autonomy of the Moro people sapagkat ang sinabi ng Constitution ay sila ang maghalal sa kanilang pinuno… sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them. Translate it into the Organic Act, dapat sila ang magdetermine ng election nila,” stressed Pimentel.
On Wednesday night, the Senate began the plenary debate on measures to delay the Armm polls, which was filed by Sen. Franklin Drilon. (AMN/Sunnex)

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/06/02/government-has-not-enough-reasons-defer-armm-polls-159002