Sulu official vows clean elections

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - The challenger of reelectionist Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan Jr., promised on Thursday to religiously abide by the Omnibus Election Code in furthering his candidacy.

Gubernatorial wannabe Temogen “Cocoy" Tulawie also assured Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that his supporters who include mayors and traditional leaders in Sulu, will not resort to violence in pushing his candidacy forward. He was sent to jail by Tan Jr.'s father for a bombing crime which the court said he did not commit.

During a dialogue Thursday, Hataman met Tulawie to discuss with him how they can cooperate in ensuring peaceful and clean elections in Sulu.

The area is considered as the bastion of the Abu Sayyaf group and a convenient harboring area for Filipinos and foreigners kidnapped elsewhere by extremists feared for beheading captives if ransom demands are not met.

Hataman said his dialogue with Tulawie was meant to persuade the 44-year-old Tausog politician, who had served as councilor of Jolo, capital town of Sulu, to refrain from making next year’s gubernatorial polls in the island province a “proxy political conflict” between his clan and Tan Sr.

Tan Sr. while governor of Sulu, had charged Tulawie of plotting a roadside bombing about six years ago, which he claimed was intended to kill him.  

As a consequence, Tulawie, known then for his fiery public statements about poor governance in Sulu, was jailed for three years, but was eventually exonerated by the court for the absence of evidence linking him to the attack.

“Me and my followers have no problem abiding by the Omnibus Election Code because I am not a political warlord,” Tulawie said.

Hataman said as presiding chair of the ARMM’s inter-agency peace and order council, it is his duty to help ensure a peaceful conduct of next year’s synchronized presidential, regional and local electoral exercise in the autonomous region.

The ARMM covers Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, which are both in mainland Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Tan Sr. is contesting Hataman’s bid for a second term as official candidate of the administration’s Liberal Party.

Almost all of the incumbent local officials in the region are members of the Liberal Party.