Overwhelming ‘no’ vote seen in ARMM plebiscite

Partial official results of last Tuesday’s plebiscite in 15 provinces and 14 cities showed an overwhelming rejection of expanded Muslim self-rule in Mindanao and Palawan.

According to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Alfredo Benipayo, partial official results from five provinces and Puerto Princesa City as of 5 p.m. yesterday showed 53,803 voted "no" while 1,587 voted "yes" to expanded Muslim self-rule.

"It would seem to me that the ‘no’ votes overwhelmed the ‘yes’ votes as of the moment," Benipayo said.

However, official results from Marawi City showed that 22,000 voted for inclusion in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Minda-nao (ARMM) while only 700 voted against.

Benipayo said the final results of the plebiscite are not expected to be known until next week because all the provincial and city certificates of canvass are not to be turned in until tomorrow.

Nonetheless, the Come-lec en banc has constituted itself as the National Board of Canvassers although it had to recess shortly after it convened because it had no certificates to canvass, he added.

Benipayo also confirmed earlier reports that the voter turnout reached only about 50 percent but stressed that the figure was already better than the turnouts recorded in earlier plebiscites.

But the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) claimed the low turnout signaled the victory of the electoral boycott espoused by incumbent ARMM Governor Nur Misuari.

"The less than 40 percent turnout of voters means victory for the MNLF, MILF and Muslim and Christian civil societies who advocated a boycott in the plebiscite," said MNLF lawyer Macapanton Abbas Jr.

Abbas said Misuari’s removal from the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) was "useless" since the results of the plebiscite effectively "abolished" the SPCPD.

But the Arroyo administration said the results of the plebiscite were the voice of the very people whom Misuari claims to serve.

"We have to live with it. The people have spoken," said Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao.

Tiglao stressed, however, that the significance of the plebiscite was that it turned out to be "very peaceful," disproving persistent views that no honest election can be held in Mindanao.

"There were a lot of intelligence reports expecting violence from groups opposing the undertaking of the plebiscite but all of these reports turned out to be inaccurate," Tiglao said.

"And we have to congratulate Governor Misuari, who has been active in opposing the plebiscite, but who obviously had a big hand in ensuring it was peaceful," Tiglao added.