GOV. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu of Maguindanao province and acting Gov. Ansaruddin Adiong of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are among the 51applicants vying for the gubernatorial
post of the ARMM who would serve in a temporary capacity or as officer-in-charge (OIC) until the region elects its governor in 2013.
In Davao City, the Mindanao Business Council, the premier business organization in the region, has given its full support for a Muslim technocrat to be appointed the region’s OIC.
Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, who heads the ARMM OIC screening committee, said that the committee has received a total of 341 applications for different local positions in the region.
From that number, 51 are for ARMM governor, 17 for vice-governor and 272 for membership in the Regional Legislative Assembly of the different provinces in the region including Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.
Robredo said that the committee has started processing the applications for the different OIC positions and they are expected to select three names for each of the positions that will be included in the shortlist that will be submitted to the Senate president and the Speaker of the House.
The committee hopes to finish the shortlist by the third week of September.
The DILG chief said that the committee will cause the publication of the applicants and nominees, and will come up with a shortlist after a thorough review and screening of their qualifications. The shortlist will then be to the leaders of Congress, who in turn will submit their respective recommendations for the approval and signature of President Benigno Aquino 3rd.
He added that national and local fora will be held from September 13 to 15 to present the candidates’ legislative agenda for the ARMM, and obtain the commitment of the candidates and other stakeholders for reforms in the region.
Besides Mangudadatu and Adiong, among the aspirants to the highest ARMM position are former regional Gov. Zacarias Candao and former Department of Local Government deputy minister Saidamen Pangarungan.
Four provincial governors and a city mayor in ARMM have given their support to Mangudadatu and vowed to submit a separate endorsement to President Aquino to somehow boost his chances of being chosen.
Mangudadatu, whose wife and other relatives were among the 57 individuals killed in the November 23, 2009 massacre believed to be masterminded by the Ampatuan political clan, has been the target of a recent assassination attempt in ARMM that left two people dead.
From 341 applicants, the number will be reduced to 78 and eventually to the final 26 which will be endorsed by the heads of Congress to President Aquino.
The 26 individuals that will be selected as OIC will include a governor, vice governor and 24 members of the regional legislative assembly.
Technocrat as OIC
Meanwhile, the Mindanao Business Council is pushing for a technocrat instead of a politician to be appointed as the region’s OIC.
Mindanao Business Council chairman Vicente Lao has endorsed Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Region 11 Director Datu Yusoph Boyog Mama, who hails from Lanao del Sur, to President Aquino for appointment as OIC. Lao submitted the endorsement before the President left for his official state visit to China.
Lao said that the business community in Mindanao has chosen Datu Mama over politicians seeking endorsement of the business sector because they believe in the DAR regional director’s track record and capability to institute much-needed reforms in governance in the ARMM.
“Among those whom we believe can contribute to ARMM’s development is Datu Yusoph Boyog Mama.
His dedication as a public servant and his professional experience defines his worth,” he added.
Lao said that the council is fully supporting the programs the Aquino administration in the ARMM which is the reason why they are endorsing Mama, who is also the president of the National Council of Career Executives Service Organizations.
Mama, the longest serving DAR regional director since the passage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, has a known track record for meeting, if not surpassing, the land distribution targets of the CARL in every region he was assigned.
He also served in the diplomatic corps as acting Commercial Attaché in Lagos, Nigeria; and Vienna, Austria. He was also the Economic Adviser-Designate to the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In an exclusive interview with The Manila Times, Mama, who also has the royal title of Masirikampo sa Marawi (traditional ruler of the royal confederation of Marawi), expressed gratitude over his being endorsed by the Mindanao Business Council.
“I am truly humbled by the endorsement and the show of confidence by the Mindanao business and private sectors’ organization for my person. This is a calling that requires much reflection [for me] and much more preparation. We do not want to disappoint our people if given the chance,” he said.
