N Cotabato execs fly to Manila vs ARMM expansion

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines - Local officials of North Cotabato are plying for Manila Wednesday night to drumbeat their opposition against the plan to include some of the province's towns and villages in the expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The local officials will be led by North Cotabato Governor Jesus Sacdalan and Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol. With them are ten members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and 18 town mayors. Piñol said they will ask the Supreme Court to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) for the scheduled signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in August 5 in Malaysia. The vice governor said the inclusion of North Cotabato in the proposed plebiscite was only decided by so-called “peace negotiators" without proper consultation with the people and the leadership of the province. Piñol cited that the people and provincial officials were not even given an idea or listing of the areas of the province which will be included in the expanded ARMM and in the plebiscite after the signing of MOA. Based on the unofficial document obtained by Piñol, the towns of Pikit and Kabacan and 98 other villages will be included in the expansion of ARMM under the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE). The 98 villages will be carved from the towns of Pigcawayan, Midsayap, Alamada, Aleosan, Banisilan, Carmen, Matalam, Mlang, Tulunan and President Roxas. North Cotabato’s 18 mayors on Tuesday signed a manifesto of support opposing for the proposed plebiscite on ARMM expansion. In their Manifesto of Support to Provincial Resolution No. 362 of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the mayors said that the people of the province have already overwhelmingly voted against the proposal to include North Cotabato in the ARMM in the plebiscite of 2001 and many other times in the past. The North Cotabato local officials will troop to the Supreme Court Thursday morning to personally urge the higher court for the issuance of the TRO. - Williamor Magbanua, GMANews.TV