2 Maguindanaoans vying for ARMM gov

COTABATO CITY — Two prominent members of the Maguindanaoan royalty, each representing the customary geographical partitions of the province known as the raya (upstream) and ilod (lowland) communities, are vying for the gubernatorial post of the expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the region’s Nov. 26 polls.

Ibrahim Paglas III, former mayor of Datu Paglas town, now one of Maguindanao’s two main economic hubs, said he is definitely filing his certificate of candidacy for governor on Tuesday.

Another aspirant is lawyer Michael Mastura, also a datu and a descendant of the legendary Sultan Kudarat.

Mastura’s hometown, Sultan Kudarat, the capital of Maguin—danao, is also a bustling trading center in the province.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is expecting hundreds of politicians to beat the Oct. 2 deadline for the filing of candidacies for the ARMM’s elective posts: governor, vice governor and members of the Regional Legislative Assembly.

Apart from its four old component-provinces — Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao — the expanded ARMM is also now composed of Marawi City and Basilan, following the results of the Aug. 14 plebiscite.

Paglas, a scion of an influential political clan in the second district of Maguindanao, is an iron-fisted leader who has gained popularity in recent years for generating $67 million in investments for Datu Paglas, a once sleepy town.

Mastura, a historian, started early in politics. He was a legislator of the first-ever autonomous government in the South during the Marcos regime. He was a former congressman of the first district of Maguindanao.

At present, Mastura is a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel.