|
The United States government will leave to Manila the decision on
whether to postpone scheduled elections in an autonomous region in
southern Mindanao.
“I think that [delaying or not the regional
polls] is an issue that should be decided by Philippine
authorities,” US Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney said Friday
at the sidelines of the launching of a judicial project that is
assisted by the US Agency for International Development.
“I think they, the relevant authorities, have
to determine whether postponing the elections is the right way,”
she added.
On August 11, the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) will hold the voting in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao,
Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces.
During the launching of the Supreme Court’s
Management Information System project, Kenney said the US government
fully supports the Philippines’ quest for lasting peace in
southern Philippines, a hotbed of communist and Muslim insurgencies
for almost four decades.
“We are hopeful and eager to see a
comprehensive peace agreement in Mindanao,” the US ambassador told
reporters, apparently referring to the possible pact between Manila
and the Muslim separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Kenney said the search for peace in Mindanao
must be pushed forward as it is crucial to the economic prosperity
of the Philippines. Mindanao, the country’s second-biggest group
of islands, has been called “Land of Promise” for its rich
agricultural and mineral resources. The Muslim insurgents there,
including the MILF rebels, claim that economic development has only
marginalized them.
“What we are able to do is to help both
parties [the government and the separatist rebels] to move forward
and make progress. We’re eager to look at top communities develop
so that Mindanao can reach its economic potential, as can the rest
of the Philippines,” the US ambassador added.
According to Kenney, the United States will
always be a “dedicated partner” of the Philippine government in
its effort to end the insurgencies in Mindanao.
The MILF last week sought the postponement of
the ARMM elections. It said the deferment paves the way for the
smooth entry of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity in Mindanao that
would be established by a final peace agreement between the two
sides. Bangsamoro refers to the Muslim minority in Mindanao.
President Gloria Arroyo earlier last week
endorsed delaying the regional polls, a move that drew criticism
from senators, who said only Congress can reset elections.
Sen. Richard Gordon said the proposal to
postpone the elections in the autonomous region was a move aimed at
amending the Constitution. He warned that he will block both moves.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines will not
call off joint military and police security preparations for the
ARMM polls despite President Arroyo’s endorsement, its chief,
Alexander Yano, said also on Friday.
Yano added that the military will only call off
the security preparations if the elections are scrapped.
The military has readied for deployment around
5,000 soldiers and 2,000 policemen.
Five lawmakers from Mindanao have filed House
Bill 5832 seeking to reset the ARMM elections from August 11 and
hold them simultaneously with the presidential elections in 2010.
The bill was authored by Rep. Faysah Dumarpa of
Lanao del Sur, Rep. Simeon Datumanong of Maguindanao, Rep. Munir
Arbison of Sulu, Rep. Mujiv Hataman of the Anak Mindanao Party-list
and Rep. Pangalian Balindong of Lanao del Sur.
According to the five lawmakers, the
postponement will allow peace talks between the government and the
MILF to proceed at the formal level. In a breakthrough, both sides
also last week reached agreement on “ancestral domain,” or
territory that will constitute an Independent Islamic homeland in
Mindanao. The talks were suspended last year over disagreement on
the issue of the ancestral domain.
-- William B. Depasupil and Jefferson Antiporda
|
