ARMM pols favor Cha-cha

COTABATO CITY — All of the 100 mayors and five governors of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) favor Charter change, not because they all belong to the ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) but due to a common conviction it could be good for the peace process in the South.

In fact, there are members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who agree with the local executives’ stand that Cha-cha could usher in improvements on laws upholding Muslim autonomy and the welfare of Mindanao’s indigenous people.

ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, now regarded as the figurehead of Lakas-CMD in the autonomous region, said he himself is not against Cha-cha, adding that he is aware it can provide a chance to provide more meaningful and comprehensive autonomy for Mindanao’s Moro people.

Ampatuan said perceptions and complaints by certain sectors on the so-called "weak provisions" of the ARMM charter, Republic Act 9054, and the vaunted Sept. 2, 1996 government-MNLF peace pact are best addressed through Charter change.

"But the process of changing the Charter should be through people’s initiative, through consensus-building and multisectoral representation so that all sectors are involved in the process," he said.

Oscar Sampulna, Ampatuan’s legal adviser and executive secretary, said that since the government’s obligation to nurture Muslim autonomy is explicitly stated in the present Constitution, there is a big possibility that amendments to RA 9054 could also be initiated through Cha-cha to enhance the peace process in the South.

"Maybe, through Cha-cha, we can enshrine in the Charter more meaningful laws that will help boost the socio-economic development of areas where there are forces of the MNLF and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front)," Sampulna said.