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MANILA, Philippines - The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms on Thursday morning approved the consolidated bill postponing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elections scheduled on August 11, radio dzBB reported.

Radio dzBB’s Rowena Salvacion said 17 lawmakers voted for the postponement, three opposed it while two abstained from voting.

Earlier, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo sent a one-page letter to House Speaker Nograles dated July 29 certifying as urgent House Bill 4832 and House Bill 4835.

In the letter, Mrs Arroyo said the postponement will “address the urgent need of reinforcing toward its immediate conclusion the ongoing peace process in Mindanao.”

House Bill 4832, filed on July 24 by five lawmakers, proposes to amend Section 1 of Republic Act 9333 - the law that sets the August 11 ARMM elections - by replacing the date of the ARMM polls to coincide with the May 2010 national elections.

The authors of the bill include Lanao del Sur Representatives Faysah Dumarpa and Pangalian Balindong, Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong, Sulu Rep. Munir Arbison, and Rep. Mujiv Hataman of party-list Anak Mindanao.

President Arroyo last week voiced support for postponing the ARMM elections, saying it is for the sake of peace efforts with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In an interview with radio dzBB, Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento lamented that everything has already been prepared for the polls, including the people in Mindanao and the security plan on the election day itself.

Wasted effort

Sarmiento said the Comelec is 95 percent prepared for the polls. He said they invested P700 million for the ARMM elections.

“Sayang po yung preparations because we are looking forward to holding the elections. We have conducted mock elections which were very successful. We have conducted command conferences, our people are in the field waiting for August 11 to come,” Sarmiento said.

He expressed regret that the preparations would be put to waste.

“Ito yung pagkakataon para matututo ang ating mga tao at makakuha ng leksyon para sa 2010 (We will be wasting the opportunity for the people to learn and for us to get a peek on the 2010 elections),” Sarmiento said.

But the poll commissioner said they would abide by the decision of Congress although he did not discount the possibility that the matter will be raised before the Supreme Court.

Sarmiento said the Comelec would continue with the preparations until a law on the postponement will be passed.

South Cotabato Rep Darlene Antonino-Custodio, one of the lawmakers who voted against the bill, believed that the move to postpone the polls is illegal as it should have been done through a plebiscite.

Plebiscite

“This (bill) will actually be an amendment to the Organic Act which was ratified by the people and any amendment of this will have to be ratified by the people again. A plebiscite is needed,” Antonino-Custodio said after the voting.

She said Congress does not have enough time to pass the bill noting that it is “an unfair expectation by the Executive to the Congress.”

The lawmaker said she could not understand the logic behind the move to postpone the ARMM elections.

“I don’t understand why we have to bastardize our democratic processes when the peace talks actually will probably end in 2010,” said Antonino-Custodio in an interview on radio dzBB.

After the committee approved the consolidated bill, it will be submitted to the plenary for second reading.

At the plenary, there would be periods for sponsorship, debate and amendments on the bill.

The House plenary will discuss the bill on Monday.

If the plenary approves the bill on second voting - through viva voce, count by tellers, division of the House or nominal voting - it will then be submitted for third reading.

The amendments made during the second reading would be included and the printed copies of the bill would be reproduced and distributed to the House members for third reading. The House members will vote through a roll call or nominal voting and will be given three minutes to explain his vote.

If the bill is approved, it will be transmitted to the Senate for its concurrence. Usually the Senate has a counterpart bill.

But as of Thursday, the Senate has yet to craft a counterpart bill.

Administration Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri had backed out from sponsoring a counterpart bill after failing to get the support of his colleagues.

Zubiri described efforts to postpone the election as “dead in the water in the Senate,” saying that with only five session days left, it is “logistically impossible” to amend the law setting the date of the ARMM polls.

On Wednesday night, administration Sen. Richard Gordon met with Malacañang officials over the proposed delay of the ARMM polls. Gordon, however, maintained on his stand not to have the scheduled polls postponed.

If there will be no counterpart bill from the Senate, the House-approved bill will be put to naught. - GMANews.TV