The National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers (NPBOC) on Friday proclaimed the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) creating the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“The Commission on Elections en banc sitting as the National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers (NPBOC) proclaims Republic Act 11054 otherwise known as the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is deemed ratified considering that majority of all the votes casts in all of the provinces and cities of the present ARMM voting as one geographical areas is approval of the organic law,” said Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas reading the resolution.
Based on the canvass of the NPBOC results in ARMM, 1,540, 017 of the 1.9 million voters in the region voted “Yes” for the ratification and 198,750 voted “No.”
Path to peace
“This will lead to the end of conflict in Mindanao. We have now reached the point where we have a concrete government which we call the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” One Bangsa President Alan Balangi said.
Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) Commissioner Susana Anayatin said the ratification of the BOL will benefit not only Muslims, but also other residents in Mindanao.
“This new government has started its journey towards peace. It will benefit all citizens of Bangsamoro, indigenous people, the Manobos, and the Christians, let us join together towards peace,” Anayatin said.
Additional BARMM areas
Cotabato City will be included in the BARMM with 36,682 of the total number of “Yes” votes and only 24,994 voting against its inclusion.
Aside from ARMM regions and Cotobato City, the BARMM may have additional areas depending on the outcome of the second part of the BOL plebiscite on Feb. 6.
The last of the plebiscite will cover areas “contiguous” to ARMM like Lanao del Norte, except Iligan City; the municipalities of Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pikit, and Pigkawayan in the province of North Cotabato; and the 28 barangays that sought for voluntary inclusion.
Voters in these areas will also be asked if they want to be part of the BARMM
Independent city
Isabela City of Basilan province will remain in Region 9 after it failed to secure the necessary “double majority” votes.
Most or 144,640 of the 156,468 those who voted in Basilan province voted for Isabela City to be included in the BARMM.
However, majority or 22,441 of the 41,748 of those who participated in the plebiscite in Isabela City voted against its inclusion.
The contradicting position of Basilan and Isabela city means it was unable fulfill the “double majority” requirement.
Abas said they will be submitting a report on the outcome of the canvassing to President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Congress and the Senate.
Resolved and unresolved issues
During the national canvassing on Friday, the NBPOC was finally able to address the alleged inconsistency in the number of “Yes” and “No” votes in Cotabato City.
On Thursday, Comelec Commissioner Rowena V. Guanzon questioned why the 24,994 “No” votes in the Certificate of Canvassing (COC) for Cotabato City does not match the 22,507 “No” votes in the Summary of Votes (SOV).
The auditing team of the NBPOC ruled there were no “discrepancy” in the both results since the supposed missing 2,487 “No” votes were contained in the second page of the SOV.
But the issue raised by Commissioner Luie F. Guia on the inconsistent number of registered voters in Cotabato City remained unresolved.
The COC presented by the Comelec officials in Cotabato City only contained 71,963 registered voters–lower than Comelec’s central offices’ 113,751 registered voters.
The inconsistency was declared by the NPBOC as a “formal defect,” then proceeded in the national canvassing of the Cotabato Ctiy results.
Comelec spokesperson James B. Jimenez said a “formal defect” will have no impact on the final outcome of the canvassing results and will just be noted by the NPBOC.
No grounds
The proceedings of the NPBOC was interrupted again during the canvassing of the results in Isabela City, when the legal counsel of the Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC), Raissa Jajurie, questioned the inclusion of 80 plebiscite returns in the COC of Isabela City.
She alleged the said plebiscite returns were tampered.
“I’m just afraid that the certificate of canvass, which is now about to be canvassed, would reflect number of votes that would not be reflective of results of the voters vote in Isabela City,” Jajurie said.
Guanzon said Jajurie’s claim are not enough grounds for the NBPOC to postpone the canvassing.
“When you alleged fraud on COC on its face…you are alleging fraud on the contents. Is it a ground for stopping the canvass? It is not a ground,” Guanzon said.
Abas urged Jajurie to put her concerns in writing so the poll body could formally act on it.
Image credits: AP/Bogie Calupitan