Cotabato wants out from BARMM

COTABATO CITY: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hierarchy vows all effort to include Cotabato City as one of the component cities when the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is set up.

But Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi declined to give her stand on the issue saying she is giving her constituents a free hand to chart their own future.

“If the plebiscite is held today the Yes Vote might not win in Cotabato City,” she said.

“Give the people of Cotabato City the fair chance to chart their future. The free choice of what is best for them. This is not war. This is the essence of democracy,” Guiani-Sayadi stressed.

Ironically, Cotabato City at present is the seat of the present regional government of the ARMM which is going to be abolished when BARMM is implemented. But Cotabato City is distinct from the ARMM since it is under Region 12.

Alhaj Murad Ebrahim, MILF chairman, and Ghazali Jaafar, chairman of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, have declared keen interest to include Cotabato, described by many as “Crown Jewel” because of the strategic importance, in the BARMM.

Murad said that if Cotabato City will opt not to join BARMM through the plebiscite, it would seem illogical since, for example, its airport and seaport are both situated in the BARMM territory.

The Cotabato City Airport is located in Barangay Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, while the seaport is at Polloc Port in Parang town.

Similarly, Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the MILF Information Committee, said they will overcome all obstacles to make the Yes Vote wins overwhelmingly in Cotabato City in the plebiscite to be conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The Comelec is now conducting registration of voters which started July 2 until September 29 for the May 13, 2019 national and local elections.