Palace, Congress favor deferment of ARMM polls

Malacañang and Congress are in favor of postponing the scheduled elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in August, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said Monday. Enrile said the consensus was made during the day's Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting, where the proposal to postpone the August 8 ARMM polls was presented as one of the government's priority legislations. "That was one of the matters in the agenda and there was consensus to postpone it," he told reporters in an interview at the Senate. The LEDAC meeting was held in Malacañang earlier in the day. He said that the only remaining question is whether there will be a holdover of power or new appointments will be made by the President. If the said bill is passed, polls in the ARMM will be synchronized with the national and local elections in 2013. Enrile said that President Benigno Aquino III has agreed to meet with the congressmen from ARMM to discuss the issue further. "I will not preempt the decision of the President. Let's wait until he (Aquino) has discussed the matter with the members of the House of Representativess coming from the area of ARMM," he said. Last week, two House panels approved the measure calling for the postponement of the ARMM polls. Other priority bills Aside from the bill postponing the ARMM polls, Enrile said that Congress will also support Malacañang in pushing for its 22 other priority bills. "I must tell you that the subject matter of the LEDAC was quite impressive. They are very worthy bills," he said. Enrile said they were able to discuss 22 priority legislations during Monday's meeting but that they deferred from tackling the fiscal responsibility bill, which he said should be discussed in length. Enrile explained that Aquino's priority bills covered matters involving security, economy, education, governance, the dispositon of natural resources, the organization of new department of housing and urban development, measures involving maritime zones and sea lanes, and the anti-trust law. "I think the program that was presented to us was quite good and impressive," he said. He noted, however, that the President understands that they will still have to examine each proposed bill. "They will be subjected to scrutiny by Congress. They do not expect us to accept their version in toto," he said. LEDAC The LEDAC convenes at least once every quarter. Monday's meeting was Aquino’s first as President even though he has been in office for seven months. Created in 1992, the LEDAC has as regular members the President as chairman, the Vice President, the Senate President, the House Speaker, seven Cabinet members, three senators, three House members, and one representative each from the local government, the youth, and the private sector. It serves to help the President integrate his legislative agenda with the national development plan, among others. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News