Ampatuan is ARMM governor

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday proclaimed Zaldy Ampatuan and his running mate Ansaruddin Adiong as the winners of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial elections.

President Arroyo, in a statement, congratulated the two winners, "both for their victory and for their support for honest, orderly and peaceful elections" and vowed to support ARMM’s "newly earned momentum" for "good governance, economic development and lasting peace."

She called on all contenders in the ARMM elections to unite and reconcile to boost the region’s strength and work for the peace and prosperity of its constituents.

"I trust that our new leaders in the ARMM will give what their constituents and all of Mindanao deserve for a better future," Mrs. Arroyo said. "Let us put partisanship and conflict behind us and welcome a new dawn of greatness for all Filipinos, regardless of creed, origin or social station."

Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos made the proclamation at 5:20 p.m. within the ARMM compound in Cotabato City after lawyer Romulo Macalintal, representing Ampatuan and Adiong, issued a motion to have them declared the winners even though the ballots from Tawi-Tawi had yet to be canvassed.

Ampatuan garnered 549,180 votes from the four other ARMM provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, and Sulu — representing 90 percent of the votes. He has a lead of 341,680 votes over his closest rival, Mahid Mutilan, who received only 207,500 votes.

Adiong garnered 514,032 votes, leading Mutilan’s running mate, Ismael Abubakar Jr., by 364,758 votes. Abubakar received only 149,274 votes.

Ampatuan and Adiong ran under the banner of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party, while Mutilan and Abubakar represented the Ompia Party, a congregation of Muslim preachers from ARMM.

Comelec director Pio Joson, who chairs the regional board of canvassers, said the poll body decided to proclaim winners in the ARMM election, held last Aug. 8, after Macalintal said that even if all the nearly 200,000 votes from the province of Tawi-Tawi were cast in favor of Mutilan and Abubakar, they would not be able to surmount the leads of Ampatuan and Adiong.

Reports said that the plane containing the Tawi-Tawi ballots could not take off immediately due to inclement weather in the region.

Earlier yesterday, Abalos said Ampatuan and Adiong were the sure winners in the elections, but the board of canvassers wants to go through the results from Tawi-Tawi before proclaiming them.

"The board would not proclaim them until the returns from Tawi-Tawi have been canvassed because we cannot be accused of doing the proclamation in haste," Abalos said.

He added that the results from Tawi-Tawi "do not matter anymore because Ampatuan is already leading by more than 100,000, but we’re going to wait and complete the canvassing before doing the proclamation." — John Unson, Paolo Romero, Mayen Jaymalin