By RYAN ROSAURO
MindaNews
ILIGAN CITY.—Maranao leaders in Lanao del Sur have opposed the holding of special elections in seven towns on May 28 because the date falls on a Friday, an Islamic holy day.
“We are appealing that it be moved to another date. We hope the Comelec would recognize our religious sensibilities,” said Abul Alibasa of the Ranaw Youth for Peace and Sustainable Development.
As a result of the protest, Comelec has moved the date of the Lanao del Sur special elections to Saturday, May 29.
Alibasa noted that the seven towns “are predominantly, if not entirely, Muslim communities.”
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has declared a failure of elections and subsequently ordered that special polls be held in the towns of Lumba-Bayabao, Lumbaca-Unayan, Marogong, Sultan Dumalondong, Tubaran, Masiu and Bayang where balloting failed to push through May 10 largely because of security concerns and some administrative hitches.
The elections in the seven towns will no longer affect the outcome for national positions but would be significant in the contests for provincial and congressional positions. The seven towns account for over 70,000 votes.
Apart from the seven Lanao del Sur towns, special polls will also be held in several villages of Western Samar, Iloilo and Basilan on May 28.
“We are filing a protest to have another schedule,” said Abdullah Dalidig of the Islamic Movement for Electoral Reform and Good Government (IMERGG). The protest was made verbally to Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, who said he would relay the matter to the Commission en banc.
Alibasa, a voter in Bayang town, said poll turnout could be affected if the May 28 schedule pushes through, or it could be that the people may choose to vote and forego time for prayers.
“We should not be brought into a situation that these are the only options and we have to choose which we value most. We care for both our religion and our right of suffrage,” Alibasa stressed.