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With just four days before the elections in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Palace and its
allies at the House of Representatives have given up on postponing
the polls on Monday.
At the same time, the Commission
on Elections, or Comelec, said preparations for the elections are
nearly complete.
In a press briefing Wednesday,
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said, “We asked for a postponement,
but the final decision must come from them [lawmakers], so we submit
to their sound judgment.”
The House adjourned Monday
evening without passing the bill that would reset the elections to
May 2010, the schedule for the next national polls.
In the Senate, no senator filed a
similar bill despite the Palace’s effort to win them over.
Earlier, the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) demanded the postponement of the elections
arguing that this would affect the transition from ARMM to the
creation of a new autonomous region—the Bangsamoro Juridical
Entity—that was proposed during peace talks between the government
and the rebels.
Dureza admitted that the conduct
of the elections would “upset the timetable” but will not
complicate the entire peace process.
He added that he hopes the
Supreme Court would settle the ancestral domain issue soon so that
the government could go back on track and resume the talks based on
its timetable.
The Court had issued a temporary
restraining order on the signing of the agreement on ancestral
domain, but the rebels insist the agreement is a done deal, as the
August 5 signing was a mere formality.
House hopeless
“Insofar as the postponement of
the [ARMM] elections [is concerned], we can no longer postpone the
elections,” House Majority Floor Leader Arthur Defensor said
Wednesday. “Even [if] we pass the measure, since there is no
counterpart and no movement from the Senate, it is a waste of time
and effort.”
He added that there was a silent
resistance among congressmen against postponement, despite the fact
that President Gloria Arroyo has certified the bill resetting the
ARMM polls as urgent.
Defensor added that before he can
stand before the plenary to ask his fellow congressmen to vote for
the postponement, some lawmakers would silently leave the hall so
that there would not be a quorum.
Despite the difficulties,
Defensor said the House must pursue the bill so as to show
“goodwill” and “sincerity” to Muslims.
Comelec nearly ready
Preparations for the ARMM
elections are nearly complete, according to the Commission on
Elections. It has set up a media and information center in Cotabato
City.
The Comelec spokesman and
information chief, James Jimenez, said the media center would act as
the information collection and transmission hub for the elections
Monday.
“As the nation is set to
witness history made, we want to make sure all relevant information
related to the coming automated elections is conveyed to the rest of
the country and the world,” he said in a statement.
The media center, the spokesman
added, would be run by a team from the poll body’s Education and
Information Department under information officer Leo Lim.
“Their tasks involve receiving,
processing and transmitting information gathered from field
officials and other stakeholders in the autonomous region,” Jimenez
explained.
The spokesman added that media
center personnel would also be in charge of coordinating the
movement of foreign observers and the journalists covering
Monday’s elections.
The poll body has also disclosed
the venues for the provincial canvass of votes.
The venues are Basilan National
High School in Barangay Eastside in Isabela City, Basilan; Mindanao
State University in Jolo, Sulu; Mindanao State University
Sanga-Sanga Campus in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; Lanao del Sur Provincial
Capitol Complex in Marawi City; Cotabato City Polytechnic in Cotabato
City, Shariff Kabunsuan; and Sangguniang Panlalawigan Hall in
Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao province.
“All official election results
from the 1,915 voting centers in the ARMM will be brought to these
areas for canvassing and consolidation,” Jimenez said.
He added that all 3,300
electronic voting machines have been deployed to voting centers and
precincts in Maguindanao.
“All the machines will be
sealed and have their configurations locked at precinct level. This
will be done in the presence of various Comelec officials and other
stakeholders,” Jimenez said.
He added that the installation of
all the transmission facilities in Maguindanao is expected to be
completed today. 
--Angelo S. Samonte, Sammy Martin And Anthony Vargas
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