Cotabato City”•The Commission on Elections and its deputized military and police security forces in North Cotabato are all set for the conduct of the second plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 67 villages of the province today.
READ: AFP braces for BOL vote part two
The villages are situated in seven towns”•Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pigcawayan, Pikit, and Tulunan”•of North Cotabato’s 17 municipalities.
“We are ready for the plebiscite, security plans are in place,” lawyer Jay Gerada, North Cotabato election supervisor, said on Monday.
Gerada said he continues to meet with military, police, and teachers who will be serving as plebiscite committee (plebcom) members to iron out whatever issues that may arise on the balloting.
“What we are waiting for are the official ballots, once it arrives our preparation is complete,” he said.
Supt. Bernard Tayong, speaking for the police in North Cotabato, said augmentation police forces have arrived in the province and have been deployed in the seven towns to help maintain law and order.
“We have augmentation forces from the Police Regional Office-ARMM [Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao] and PRO-12,” Tayong said.
He said police personnel are ready to serve as plebcom members if the teachers decide not to serve for one reason or another.
The Comelec said voters in the 67 villages will choose inclusion or exclusion from the expanded Bangsamoro ARMM setup, while voters in the mother towns are asked if they allow these villages to join the expanded autonomy.
The plebiscite will be held in Aleosan (four villages out of 19 barangays), Carmen (seven out of 28), Kabacan (seven of 24), Midsayap (13 of 57), Pigcawayan (12 of 40), Pikit (23 of 42), and one in Tulunan.
On the same day, the voters in the six towns of Balo-i, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan, and Tangkal, in Lanao del Norte will be asked if they wish to join the new political entity by approving or rejecting the BOL.
Voters in other Lanao del Norte towns, excluding Iligan City, will also vote whether to allow these six towns to join BOL or not.
The BOL, the enabling law for the expansion of ARMM, has been ratified in the region’s core territory. The scheduled plebiscite on Wednesday would determine the final composition of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
