Court upholds speakership of Tawi-Tawi assemblyman

COTABATO CITY — A local court affirmed the other day the validity of the speakership of Tawi-Tawi Assemblyman Ismael Abubakar Jr. in the Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, putting to rest the three-week squabble for the post between him and the outgoing Speaker, Ibrahim Ibay of Maguindanao.

Ibay’s camp had questioned before the Regional Trial Court here Abubakar’s controversial assumption as Speaker early this month, arguing that the takeover was illegal because it was not sanctioned by a majority of the 24-man RLA, the region’s lawmaking body.

The RTC first restrained Abubakar from functioning as Speaker and ordered Ibay to remain in the sensitive post, but reversed its directive the other day after Abubakar’s camp presented proof that 13, or more than half, of the incumbent ARMM legislators now support his bid for the speakership.

"I think we have succeeded in proving to the judiciary that the basic rule in electing a Speaker for the RLA has truly been observed by our bloc and that a majority is behind my quest for the speakership," said Abubakar, who hails from Barangay Bohe Indangan in Simunul, an island town in Tawi-Tawi.

Ibay earlier had given assurance that he would willingly relinquish his post if majority of the assemblymen would favor his replacement by Abubakar and if the RTC would invalidate its previous order that restrained the Tawi-Tawi assemblyman from taking over the speakership.

Sources from the ARMM’s Department of the Interior and Local Government said there is no way now for Ibay and the assemblymen supporting him to regain the speakership since they now comprise the minority. Some legislators previously loyal to Ibay have crossed party lines and joined Abubakar’s group.

"What is important here is that the RLA has proven to the whole country that there is democracy in the regional assembly and that all of its members… adhere to the true context of participatory democracy," said one of the sources.

Abubakar said he is confident that Ibay and his followers would support him since the animosity between the two RLA blocs was purely political.