LANAO DEL NORTE Rep. Khalid Dimaporo said the referendum set in January of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in Mindanao has no funding after the proposed P857 million for the plebiscite was not included in the P3.757 trillion national budget in the 2019 General Appropriations Act.
Dimaporo said this during the budget deliberation and that the Commission on Elections and the Palace will have to make use of their savings to be able to hold the referendum in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman has said that they could set aside a fraction of its 2019 budget to fund the plebiscite if in case national fund for the referendum does not come on time.
“We support the BOL all the way and budget should not be a problem; we are recommending to allow part of the ARMM proposed budget to be used for the plebiscite,” he said.
Lawmakers have said that the P10-billion budget submitted by the Commission on Elections for 2019 does not include expenditures for the plebiscite.
Hataman, a strong advocate of the BOL, said Congress may realign over P800 million for the plebiscite from the P10.1 billion infrastructure fund for the region proposed by the ARMM next year.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act Number 11054, or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on July 26, days after his State of the Nation Address.
ARMM received approval for the 2019 regional budget amounting to roughly P32 billion, a third of which will be for infrastructure. It remains uncertain if Congress can still work out a solution to the problem, specifically in allocating the funds needed to hold the plebiscite.
This plebiscite seeks to formally create the BARMM, comprising of areas under ARMM’s existing jurisdiction, as well as affirm or reject the inclusion in the new region of the cities of Cotabato in Maguindanao; and Isabela in Basilan, as well as six towns in Lanao del Norte and 39 villages in North Cotabato.
AMIN Party-list Rep. Makmod Mending believes there is still time to find funds for the plebiscite. “I believe there is enough time for us here in the House of Representatives to be able to put in our General Appropriations Bill the necessary fund to cover the expenses for the conduct of the plebiscite,” he said.
Hataman said it is vital the plebiscite takes place as scheduled. “We are looking at all the options open to us, including realignment of regional government funds because it is that important to the future of our region,” he said.
The Commission on Elections said the plebiscite will be held on 2 separate days to allow time for the full resolution of petitions for voluntary inclusion in the plebiscite. For the geographical areas comprising ARMM as well as Isabela City in Basilan, and Cotabato City, the plebiscite will push through on January 21.
And on February 6 for the province of Lanao del Norte, except Iligan City; the municipalities of Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pikit, and Pigkawayan in the province of North Cotabato; and all other areas contiguous to any of the Bangsamoro core areas where the local government of such area, by way of a resolution, asked for inclusion in the plebiscite; or at least 10% of the registered voters in a local government, by way of a petition.
It said there are currently 99 pending petitions for inclusion in the new autonomous region. The BOL, however, is being challenged in the Supreme Court after Gov. Toto Tan, of Sulu, one of the 5 ARMM provinces, questioned the legality and constitutionality of the law that would replace ARMM. (Mindanao Examiner)
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