Rebels sign up to vote

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines – Hundreds of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas turned up yesterday at their camp here to register as voters in preparation for the 2016 elections in an envisioned Bangsa-moro region.

Maguindanao provincial election supervisor Udtog Tago facilitated the activity held at the Bangsamoro Leaders Management Institute in Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town.

Assisting Tago were Diocesan priest Fr. Dave Procalla, regional chairman for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and representatives of the joint government-MILF ceasefire committee and the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT).

Also present were Commission on Elections’ Al Parreño and ARMM’s regional election director Ray Sumalipao.

PPCRV national chairperson Henrietta de Villa also showed up to observe the registration process.

“The beauty of this activity is this shows that they recognize the government process that they need to register so that they could vote. They accept the government process. On the part of the PPCRV, we strived to get here to show that we also recognize that we are all Filipino brothers and sisters and there is equal dignity,” said De Villa.

“This is a signal that we are one not only in promoting the election voters, but we are also one in pushing for peace,” she added.

The one-day registration started at around 10 a.m. and lasted until late afternoon.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the voter’s registration “symbolizes the commitment of parties to democratic ideals.”

“As they say, from bullets to ballots,” he added.

Polls officials were initially targeting 2,000 MILF members to take part in the registration, but since they started late yesterday only about 250 were processed. She also admitted that the Jan. 25 incident in Mamasapano, Maguindanao might have affected the turnout.

More MILF members are expected to register in the coming days, however. Police and military units accompanied the Comelec and PPRCV personnel.

One of the registrants was Von Al-Haq, spokesman of the MILF’s military arm, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces.

Al-Haq said he and his companions were looking forward to exercising their right of suffrage – hopefully in the first Bangsamoro elections in 2016.

The enabling measure for the creation of new Bangsamoro political entity, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, is still pending in Congress.

Lawmakers have suspended deliberations on the measure in the aftermath of the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident.

Al-Haq said they are confident the deliberations on the proposed law would resume very soon.

The special registration for MILF members was in accordance with Comelec Resolution 14-0890, in support of the rebel group’s commitment to change from a revolutionary organization to a political party with socio-economic agenda.

The MILF signed a Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro with the government in March last year.

In a statement, ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman said getting MILF members to register for the elections is a big boost to the Mindanao peace process.

“Politics and governance are now the best means of fighting for reforms, peace and development. Use of guns in seeking redress is barbaric,” Hataman said. With Evelyn Macairan, Sheila Crisostomo