Tingting files candidacy in ARMM polls

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed yesterday that President Aquino’s aunt Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco has filed a certificate of candidacy (COC) to run as vice governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

This, even as President Aquino distanced himself from his aunt and reiterated his stand that the ARMM polls should be deferred and synchronized with the May 2013 midterm senatorial elections.

“Someone has filed for the position of vice governor, Margarita de los Reyes Cojuangco. Is it her?” said Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, adding that the candidate had listed “Tingting” as her nickname.

Jimenez noted in an interview that based on a summary report reaching the Comelec central office, Cojuangco had also listed her address as Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

“But remember, this is just filing of the COCs. After this there will be period for disqualification so it is not yet definite if she will really become a candidate,” he added.

Cojuangco is among the three individuals who filed COCs for vice governor. Seven others, on the other hand, have sought to run for governor, including acting regional governor Ansaruddin Adiong, who had been holding the post since December 2009.

Jimenez, however, had refused to name those who filed their certificate of candidacy since yesterday’s deadline for the filing had been extended by the Comelec until May 25 under Resolution No. 9230.

He said the extension was made on the request of ARMM regional director Rey Sumalipao to give prospective candidates for governor and vice governor more time to file their COCs.

Originally, candidates for these two positions could file their COCs only in Comelec office in Cotabato City but the poll body had decided recently to open two new satellite offices in Zamboanga City and Marawi City to accommodate them.

P-Noy still wants polls deferred

President Aquino said the government’s purpose behind the proposed deferment, which the Senate is mandated to decide, is to introduce much needed reforms in the region, notably the use of command votes as well as institutionalized corruption that have kept ARMM one of the poorest regions in the country.

Malacañang earlier said it is prepared to “field candidates” in the ARMM if the Aug. 8 elections push through, once the Senate rejects the House measure pushing for its synchronization in the May 2013 midterm elections.

“If it (House bill) is not passed by the Senate, then we’ll have to field candidates for the ARMM elections. But that’s something that we’re not contemplating at this point,” Secretary Ricky Carandang said.

Institutions in the ARMM should have as benchmark those from the national government, and the Palace assured that it will do all it can to make sure these institutions work according to their mandate.

“We have to benchmark ARMM with national government standards. We should make institutions (in ARMM) work. We can provide them a better operating environment,” Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said.

Elections, according to him, like the Aug. 8 that they want to be postponed and held on May 2013, are “always a divisive exercise,” and they want to do away with debt of gratitude that elections usually carry, the reason why they want reforms carried out the soonest.

“We can guarantee that it is better in terms of really getting a meaningful voice from the people who are affected by the electoral process,” Robredo explained, noting that the main tasks is to remove private armed groups and cleanse the voters list.

“The ARMM government is a failed experiment. The governance itself is a failure. The solution is to come up with a better organic act. The law itself is best revisited,” he said, adding that the issue is implementation of reforms, and not just elections.

Robredo also assured the public that designating an officer-in-charge – in the event the ARMM polls is deferred – will definitely be “transparent and inclusive,” where all stakeholders will be apprised and consulted regarding developments in the Muslim region. – With Delon Porcalla, Dino Balabo, John Unson, Helen Flores