MANILA, Philippines -- President Benigno S. Aquino III yesterday pushed anew for the postponement of the regional polls in Mindanao until 2013 to facilitate the repair of its damaged system of governance. During his visit in Sarangani province, the President said the proposal to defer the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elections, set for August this year, would bring efficient reforms to resolve the under-development of the region.
The postponement of the ARMM polls and its synchronization with the national and local polls in 2013 is one of the priority bills of the Aquino government. But the bill, wherein the President will appoint officers to elective posts in ARMM until the 2013 polls are held, is strongly opposed by some lawmakers and concerned stakeholders due to alleged violation of the Constitution.
“This is why we are pushing for the postponement of the ARMM elections. We don’t want the problems to recur. We are not also relying on mere luck,” Aquino said at the turnover rites of the Banana Chips Processing Facility of the Baluntay Women’s Association.
“This proposal has been studied well. We are aware of the old and crooked system of governance that’s why we are cleaning the process and instituting real reforms in the region,” he added.
In recent weeks, President Aquino has been urging lawmakers to prioritize the approval of the postponement of the ARMM polls. The synchronization of the ARMM polls in 2013, he claimed, would result to a clearer mandate and do away with command votes.
Meantime, the President hailed the establishment of the new banana chips processing plant that will employ mostly wives and children of former Muslim separatist rebels.
Aquino said the development project seeks to improve the plight of the community in Sarangani.
The project includes the establishment of a building and provisions for equipment and supplies and trainings worth P450,000 from the international donors.
“May this project be an example to succeed in life without resorting to violence,” Aquino said.
In the same occasion, the President took pride in the implementation of the conditional cash transfer program to fight poverty, saying it has reached 1.5 million poor families as of March. The conditional cash transfer program in-tends to reach 2.3 million beneficiaries by May, according to the President.
Genalyn Kabiling, Manila Bulletin
