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| Thursday September 09, 2010 | 9:14am PHT |
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| Tuesday February 09, 2010 |
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| News in and around the country, courtesy
of Manila Times.
Also features news on Information Technology
courtesy of Computer
World. |
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Provincial
Maguindanao town candidates sign pact
Cotabato City: Local candidates running for different elective positions in the town of Northern Kabuntalan, Maguindanao, signed a covenant on Saturday to keep the May 10 elections honest, orderly and peaceful in their areas.
The signing of the covenant was initiated by the Maguindanao Joint Security Control Center (JSCC) where candidates solemnly agreed not to create violence during election day but instead committed themselves to advance peaceful and honest elections in Northern Kabuntalan.
Political observers in the restive province of Maguindanao were in unison that other towns should emulate the unprecedented move of local politicians in the municipality of Northern Kabuntalan, Maguindanao that pooled themselves together despite brewing political tension and proceeded the signing of the covenant moving for a peaceful and honest 2010 elections.
Majority of the local candidates including two of the aspiring candidates for town mayor agreed to sign the peace covenant voluntarily.
However, former Northern Kabuntalan Mayor Ramil Dilangalen, who was unseated when the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued its decision on an electoral protest with finality and executory favoring the now incumbent mayor, Mike Fermin, was not present at the signing ceremony. But Dilangalen is expected to sign the covenant and to abide with the agreement stipulated therein. Both Fermin and Dilangalen are seeking re-election.
Col. Herbert Yambing, co-chairman of Maguindanao’s JSCC, said that though the only hope of the voters during election is quite simple, which is “to be able to support and go out and vote for the candidates of their choice,” the task of having opposing candidates agreed to sign a covenant is “very overwhelming.”
JSCC-Maguindanao was just activated on January 12 in order to look closely on the formulation and implementation of election security plan in the province.
It would be noted that most of Maguindanao’s 36 municipalities are on Comelec’s watch list for election-related violence as in previous elections.
Security officials had earlier announced that they are anticipating more violence in the coming months particularly in the second district of Maguindanao province where armed group identified with former Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. are yet to be neutralized.
As this developed, JSCC-Maguin-danao is stepping up efforts to curb election-related violence and facilitate smooth and credible elections.
Security measures have been put in place to handle threats from intense political rivalry, rido or family feud and potential attacks from rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Yambing said “the covenant is an instrument of peace” and is an agreement not only among candidates but the whole of Maguindanao’s populace.
Similar peace covenant signing is also expected to be carried out throughout the province in the coming weeks.
“The covenant is entirely voluntary,” Yambing said. Candidates are not legally bound to take part in it and the JSCC has “no legal sanction to prosecute candidates who may violate its provisions,” he said.
However, he added that judgment as to how candidates treat the covenant rests in the hands of the people who will give their mandates to the candidates.
- Julmunir I. Jannaral, Correspondent
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