MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said that it was ready to defend before the Supreme Court (SC) a bill seeking postponement of scheduled elections at the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) if the proposal would reach the court.
On Monday, the Senate approved SB [Senate Bill] 2756 deferring the ARMM polls set for August 8 this year and synchronized these with the 2013 mid-term polls.
The House of Representatives also on Monday adopted the Senate bill.
During a briefing, Palace deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said that the administration would be ready to defend the bill postponing the ARMM balloting if those who were against the measure challenged it before the Supreme Court.
“Even before the passage of the Senate bill in the Senate, alam naman po nating mayroon pong hindi sumasang-ayon doon sa panukala ng administrasyon [Even before the passage of the Senate bill in the Senate, we are aware that there are some who oppose the proposal of the administration],” Valte added.
“That being said, handa naman po tayong harapin kung ano pong kaso iyong isasampa nila. Kung sinasabi po nila iyong question po ng constitutionality noong postponement, handa po tayong sumagot [That being said, we are ready to defend a case that they will file. If they will question the constitutionality of the bill on the ARMM polls’ postponement, we are ready to answer it],” she said.
According to her, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles and Political Adviser Ronald Llamas are preparing guidelines for selection of Officers-in-Charge (OIC) for ARMM.
In a statement, Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that Malacañang welcomes the decision of the Senate to postpone the ARMM elections.
“The Senate vote for the passage of SB 2756 is a great step toward systematic reform in the region,” he noted.
“Beyond that, the vote also signifies the willingness of our leaders to join the people in the straight and righteous path toward genuine, meaningful change,” Lacierda said.
He praised Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile for demonstrating stalwart leadership, and Sen. Franklin Drilon, the author of the measure.
“The administration has always maintained that only through synchronization can true democracy— unencumbered by patronage and transactional politics—be felt in ARMM where the people have been denied a chance at a dignified life,” Lacierda said.
“Now that the bill has been passed in the Senate, we can look forward to the implementation of wider-ranging reforms to enable the people‘s voice to be truly heard. May this mark the dawn of development efforts taking root in the region, where progress for the benefit of all —and not merely for the powerful few—is achieved,” the spokesman added.
House adopts measure
The House of Representatives also on Tuesday adopted the Senate version of the bill postponing the ARMM polls, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said.
Under House Bill 4146, OICs who are appointed to elective posts will not be allowed to run for an elective post in the 2013 voting.
The Senate version, however, allows OICs to run.
The 13-7 vote in the Senate for the ARMM polls’ postponment, Belmonte said, was a strong sign that the President enjoys solid support from the Senate as well.
Rep. Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro from the Liberal Party agreed with the Speaker.
“The vote of the Senate is revealing of the leadership of President Aquino and determination of this administration to pursue the needed reforms the country badly needs,” he said.
Belmonte assured that the President will consult the leaders on the ground in appointing OICs in ARMM, including lawmakers from the region who are more knowledgeable about the lives of Muslims in the area.
But for Rep. Milagros Magsaysay of Zambales of the minority bloc, postponing the ARMM polls shows that the Aquino administration does not respect and has a low regard for the people of Mindanao to elect their own leaders.
“It is even ironic that it was Cory [Aquino] who gave them their autonomy and now (Mr. Aquino) is taking it away by appointing OICs to run it (ARMM). It is as if the people of Mindanao are not capable to run it on their own. At the end of the day, the will of the people should prevail,” Magsaysay said in a text message.
Cory is Corazon Aquino, the late former president and mother of the country’s incumbent leader.
Escudero berates Comelec
At the Senate, Sen. Francis Escudero also on Tuesday berated the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for freezing preparations for the ARMM polls despite the absence of a real law for the definite postponement of the elections in the region.
Escudero, who voted against the passage of the bill resetting the regional elections, said that the poll body should follow its mandate to prepare for the polls there unless a new law was passed.
“It is not over until it is over,” he told The Manila Times during a chance interview when asked about his views on the decision of Comelec to conduct manual polls in the autonomous despite the law stipulating automated elections.
“Those who have gained a master’s degree in cheating have been overcome by the fast results of the [automated] elections,” the senator said.
Escudero added that he will no longer join the parties or personalities who will go the High Court to question the legality of Senate Bill 2756.
Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the chairman of Senate Committee on Local Government, said that he might join the parties or personalities who will file a case before the High Court.
