Police, military brace for political tension in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY , Philippines  – The police and military have started bracing up for any political tension as a possible outcome of today’s Kanduli (thanksgiving rite) here by 31 of Maguindanao’s 36 mayors that pitted a common candidate against gubernatorial aspirant Buluan Vice Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu.

Key sources from the local government department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, among them directorate staffers, said among the political leaders to attend the religious event, meant to show support for the candidacy for Maguindanao governor of Datu Ombra Sinsuat, are local officials from the adjoining towns of Paglat, Datu Paglas, S.K. Pendatun, Sultan sa Barongis, Rajah Buayan, Matalam and Montawal, who are mostly related by blood to Mangudadatu.

Sinsuat, mayor of Datu Odin town in the first district of Maguindanao, is himself a close relative of Mangudadatu.

A source from the Cotabato City government said the city’s now outgoing, third-term mayor, Muslimin Sema, chairman of one of the two most dominant factions in the Moro National Liberation Front, and his wife, Bai Sandra Sema, who is a niece of Sinsuat, are also to attend the gathering, to be held at the Estosan Garden Hotel here.

“It is not a political rally, but a religious gathering where we shall discuss how we can help one another in ensuring a peaceful, credible election in the province and how we can work out, the legal way, the victory of our candidate for governor of Maguindanao,” said a town mayor in the first district of Maguindanao, who is identified with Sinsuat.

Only five mayors, so far, have openly been showing support to the candidacy of Mangudadatu for Maguindanao governor – his three siblings, who are incumbent mayors of Buluan, Pandag, and Mangudadatu towns, which has about 40,00 registered voters, and the mayors of Sultan Mastura and Sultan Kudarat towns, both in the first district of Maguindanao, whose nephew is Mangudadatu’s running mate.

Sinsuat said he is ready to swear over the Qur’an that he and the more than 30 mayors supporting his candidacy will abide by the Omnibus Election Code.