BARMM polls pushed as Congress priority

Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong —CONG. ZIA ALONTO ADIONG/FB

ILIGAN CITY, LANAO DEL NORTE, Philippines — Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong on Wednesday vowed to work with the leadership of the House of Representatives to make a bill fixing the date of the parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) a legislative priority.

Adiong told the Inquirer that he has already prepared a draft bill, ready to be filed when Congress resumes session on Jan. 26.

“It’s actually one of my priority legislations, in my desire to finally allow the BARMM electorate to exercise the constitutionally guaranteed right to choose and elect their leaders,” he said.

READ: Law on BARMM districts passed

Once the bill is filed, according to Adiong, it will be referred to the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms that he chairs. “We will prioritize the enactment of the (measure fixing the) BARMM elections for this year,” he said.

Adiong made this assurance after the BARMM parliament passed a law on Tuesday creating 32 single-member parliamentary districts, setting off next steps leading to the holding of the regional elections.

The representatives elected from the 32 districts will, in all, comprise 40 percent of the 80-seat parliament, with 50 percent coming from political party representatives and 10 percent sectoral representatives.

Collaboration

Tuesday’s breakthrough came more than three months after the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional two districting measures—Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 77 for creating districts out of localities that are not adjacent to each other, and Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 58 for still incorporating Sulu province in the allocation of seats despite an earlier high court ruling declaring it as not part of the BARMM.

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said the parliament’s achievement “must be matched by collaborative efforts from the national and Bangsamoro governments, civil society, and citizens of the BARMM to ensure that the upcoming elections are peaceful, inclusive, and reflective of the Bangsamoro’s aspirations.”

Galvez reiterated his long-standing call for Congress to immediately set the date of the regional elections. He cited an earlier promise by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri that once the BARMM has a districting law at hand, it will be easier to pass a measure to fix the date of parliamentary elections.

Galvez emphasized that the BARMM elections, when finally held, will not only be a political exercise but more importantly “will set the crucial underpinnings for peace, legitimacy, and people’s participation to deeply take root in the Bangsamoro.” /cb