Gov’t enticing MILF to join ARMM polls

One of the whistleblowers of the 2004 presidential election scam died of heart failure last Saturday, MindaNews reported. Hadji Abdullah “Lacs” Dalidig, whose exposés in Lanao presaged the “Hello Garci” tapes, suffered lingering ailments; he was 63.

Lacs headed the National Movement for Free Elections in Lanao del Sur when he detected massive fraud for President Gloria Arroyo. Allegedly voters were bribed to stay home on Election Day, and bogus returns were counted. Later, wiretaps turned up of Arroyo and election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano plotting ways to make her win in Mindanao by shady means. Those included transferring honest military officers and kidnapping an election field supervisor. Arroyo ruled for six more scandal-ridden years.

A year ago Lacs was reported to be preparing to file charges against Garcillano. He also lobbied for postponement of the elections till next year in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

A reformer for decades, Lacs advocated

The government need not wait for a formal settlement of the Moro secession before the MILF can join in the election, Leonen indicated. Malacañang has tasked ARMM acting governor Mujiv Hataman to curb private armies and rido (clan wars) that decimate communities. The Commission on Elections is purging the padded voter registry.

Both measures are in preparation for clean and orderly voting in May 2013. Leonen said the MILF leaders believe in the sincerity of the Aquino administration to settle the secession and other reforms. He said the MILF watched closely and were impressed with the televised impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Twenty-six ARMM posts will be up for grabs next year: regional governor, vice governor, and 24 legislative assemblymen (three from each district). All have three-year tenures, and are allowed to sit three consecutive terms. The governor appoints three deputy governors (representing Muslims, Christians, and Lumad ethnic tribes), plus ten Cabinet members. All appointees are subject to