MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc sitting as the National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers has proclaimed the inclusion of 63 barangays in North Cotabato under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR).
Commissioner Al Parreño, head of the Committee on Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite, made the proclamation as a result of a double majority “yes” vote in these barangays and their respective municipalities.
The North Cotabato barangays, which are located in Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pigkawayan and Pikit, were included in BAR based on the results of canvassing and verification made by the tabulation and audit panel.
Six Lanao del Norte municipalities, namely Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagaloan and Tangkal, were not included in BAR due to failure to secure the double majority vote.
The BAR was earlier ratified by the Comelec with over 1.5 million “yes” votes as against 198,000 “no” votes following the first round of the plebiscite held in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Jan. 21.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) will abolish the ARMM and replace it with the BAR which expands land and water jurisdiction, assures fiscal autonomy, and increases share in national government resources, among others.
The BOL was the product of the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in March 2014. It will be governed by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) composed of 80 members appointed by the President from various sectors./PN
