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KBL senatorial bet wants ARMM abolished


A senatorial candidate on Tuesday sought the abolition of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), saying it has failed to bring peace to the region and only serves as the government’s milking cow. On Tuesday’s GMA News television forum UH Hiritan 2010: Senatorial Edition, Shariff Ibrahim Albani, a Muslim and senatorial bet of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), said the ARMM should be abolished. “Tulad sa akin, ang pananaw ko sa buhay ay sana ma-abolish na itong Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, sapagkat ito ay hindi magiging dahilan upang magkaroon ng tunay na kapayapaan sa bayan, at ito rin ay nagiging milking cow ng National Government," Albani said. (I believe that the ARMM should be abolished because aside from its failure to bring peace to Mindanao, it has become a milking cow of the National Government.) Albani did not elaborate. He also confirmed there was cheating in Mindanao in the past elections. “Itong tinatawag na dayaan, tama po ito. At sana mahinto na natin… At sana, kung sino man ang magiging Presidente sa kasalukuyan, ihinto na at bigyan ng tinatawag na power [ang mga mamamayan] (It’s true that cheating had taken place in the past elections in Mindanao. Whoever would be President, I wish he could stop it)," Albani said. Also present on Tuesday’s UH Hiritan 2010 were former Bukidnon Rep. Nereus Acosta of the Liberal Party and former broadcaster Alex Tinsay of the Bangon Pilipinas party. Acosta warned of a people power uprising in case the May 10 automated elections fail. "Democracy belongs to the people and not to the Commission on Elections, Supreme Court, or Malacañang," he said in Filipino. The Liberal Party's standard bearer is Senator Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, son of the late President Corazon Aquino, who helped restore democracy in the country after a popular street uprising toppled the Marcos dictatorship in 1986. Tinsay, for his part, cited the need to professionalize the media industry through licensure examinations for aspiring practitioners. “Unang una, kailangang ma-professionalize ang media industry. Binabalak ko pong bigyan ng licensure examination ang mga broadcaster at [manunulat]... [para sila ay] talagang competent," Tinsay said, adding that he would push for better benefits for media practitioners, especially those working off camera. He also said his party would push for the return of the death penalty lifted by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “We will seek the return of the death penalty for cases involving plunder, warlordism and illegal arms trade by our Armed Forces, because it promotes loose firearms, which lawless elements use. The death penalty, we believe, will be a great deterrent," said Tinsay in Filipino, whose Bangon Pilipinas party is fielding evangelist Eddie Villanueva for the presidency. — LBG, RJAB Jr./NPA, GMANews.TV

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