By CARMELA FONBUENA
abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak
After about two hours of closed-door caucus today, the Mindanao bloc in the House of Representatives failed to arrive at a common stand on the proposal to postpone the August 11 automated elections in the Administrative Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The caucus resulted in an impasse after the 33 Mindanao congressmen present voted 14-14-5. Five abstained. Nograles himself said he has not made a position. “I’m still thinking. It’s still not clear to me. I have to talk to ARMM congressmen and ARMM governors to get their sentiments,” he told reporters after the caucus.
Nograles said that the voting today “is not a formal result.” Twenty-six other Mindanao congressmen were absent in the caucus and were unable to vote.
Acknowledging that time is limited, Nograles set the deadline on Wednesday next week. “If we can’t make it before Wednesday next week, I think it will be next to impossible,” he said.
The proposal to postpone the ARMM elections was floated when Congress was on recess. Session only resumed yesterday. “All these things happened during recess, we didn’t have the opportunity to talk to each other collectively,” Nograles said in the opening statement before he asked journalists to leave the conference room.
Nograles said he will meet the Mindanao bloc again, particularly the ARMM congressmen tonight or tomorrow. “I’m sure our colleagues in the Visayas and our colleagues Luzon will defer to the Mindanao congressmen when it comes to Mindanao concerns, especially the ARMM,” Nograles said.
The Mindanao bloc was joined by Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. (chairman of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms), presidential adviser on the peace process former Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr., and his predecessor Jesus Dureza.
Is postponement realistic?
The ARMM election was scheduled August 11, which is twelve days from now. But Nograles said, “Anything is possible in this House. I’m still open to it. I think positively.”
Dureza, who is now press sectary, shared Nograles’s optimism. Malacanang earlier made a position supporting the postponement of the elections. “There are more meetings. This is just the initial result. Let’s not speculate now,” he said.
“Elections is part of the peace process. It will be affected one way or another,” Dureza added. He is referring to the pending peace negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
What Nograles is worried about are the reports that Senator Miguel Zubiri—who comes from Mindanao —is backing out of sponsoring the bill’s version in the Senate. “I’m a little worried. There’s no sponsor in the Senate,” Nograles said.
Although Zubiri attended the SONA yesterday, Nograles said he was unable to talk to him. He said he will call him soon.