Comelec Forms Sub-Committee to Prepare for Bangsamoro Plebiscite

A sub-committee has been formed as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) prepares for the holding of a referendum that would pave way for the formation of the Bangsamoro political entity in Mindanao.

A sub-committee on the Bangsamoro Plebiscite, chaired by Commissioner Al Parreño and co-chaired by Commissioner Luie Tito Guia, has been tasked to prepare for the referendum. Through this sub-committee, the Comelec will be in active communication with various stakeholders such as the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and leaders and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, reports said.

It added that a special task force was also created to oversee, supervise and control the preparations for the conduct of the plebiscite while another body was formed even as the draft for the Bangsamoro Basic Law has yet to be finalized by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez on Wednesday clarified that “at this stage, it is all just preparations. Just being ready for the law when it comes out.” He also expressed confidence over the poll body’s handling of the preparations for the plebiscite and the 2016 national and local elections.

Once the draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law is finalized, it will be submitted to President Benigno Aquino III, who will forward it to the Congress for approval. Aquino is expected to certify the draft law as urgent. Once enacted, the Basic Law will be subjected to a plebiscite covering the existing geographical area of the ARMM; the six municipalities of Baloi, Munai, Pantar, Nunungan, Tagaloan and Tangkal in Lanao del Norte; 39 villages in North Cotabato; and the cities of Cotabato and Isabela, report said.

The deal also states that adjacent areas can choose to form part of Bangsamoro’s territory via a resolution from their local governments, or a petition of at least 10 percent of all qualified voters in the area submitted two months before the ratification of the law creating the new political entity.

On March, the MILF signed a Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) with the government for the establishment of the new Bangssamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Meanwhile, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes has earlier said he wants the plebiscite to be held in 2015, a year before the 2016 presidential election.

Source: GMA News Online

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