EDITORIAL - Peaceful plebiscite

By all indications, the expansion of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has been resoundingly rejected. Official results show that only Marawi City has opted to join the ARMM, although Malacañang officials said Cotabato City and the Abu Sayyaf stronghold of Basilan have also voted for inclusion.

The rejection, however, should not be taken as a major setback. The results were widely expected by Christians and Muslims alike. 0ne positive sign is that the plebiscite was conducted with not a single violent incident reported. In a region bristling with loose firearms, where politicians can’t seem to move around without a retinue of bodyguards, the biggest concern before the plebiscite was that it could turn bloody. There were reports of plans to stage bombings and other terrorist attacks. Residents feared violence amid ARMM Gov. Nur Misuari’s strong opposition to the plebiscite.

The worst scenarios did not materialize and the plebiscite turned out to be peaceful. This is unusual in a country where every electoral exercise is marred by violence. Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front boasted that the relatively low voter turnout of only about 40 percent was due to the group’s campaign for a boycott. Still, a peaceful boycott is progress enough in the strife-torn South.

Yesterday some groups in Basilan and Cotabato questioned the results of the plebiscite in their areas. Basilan residents wondered in particular about reports of a near-complete turnout in the town of Lamitan, where Abu Sayyaf bandits were trapped in a hospital with their hostages but were able to escape under controversial circumstances.

Such questions raise the possibility of formal challenges to official results of the plebiscite. But as long as the protests are expressed as peacefully as the conduct of the plebiscite, there’s hope for the autonomous region. Expanding the ARMM is not an urgent need. Considering the demographics in Mindanao, it may even be a pipe dream. What the ARMM badly needs are good governance and peace. The conduct of the plebiscite showed that issues can be settled in the South without resorting to force or violence. This bodes well for development prospects in Mindanao.