Pikit Mayorand Accept results, let’s move on
BANGSAMORO NEWS UPDATES • 15:37 PM Sat Feb 9, 2019
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By:
Ferdinandh Cabrera
Teachers on their way to remote villages of Pikit, North Cotabato early Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. (FC)
PIKIT, North
Cotabato – The town mayor of this town today said everyone must accept the
results of the plebiscite on Wednesday that that cut the number of villages
under him to more than half.
The 22 villages that will form part of the expanded autonomy are among the 63 villages that the Yes vote won.Mayor Sumulong
Sultan said he and the rest of the local officials of Pikit have accepted the
fate of 22 villages who decided to leave Pikit and joint the proposed expanded
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to be called Bangsamoro Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
We have to
respect the decision of the electorate, Sultan said in an interview. He was earlier quoted in reports to be
against the inclusion of 23 out of 42 villages to BARMM but he denied it.
Let us all
accept the results, let’s move on, he told his constituents after the
balloting.
Sultan has
left with 20 villages to rule as town mayor.
Only in
Barangay Balatican that the No vote won with 45,000 electorate voted against
inclusion to BARMM while more than 1,000 said yes.
Barangay
Balatican is home to Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under Nur Misuari
who has been against BARMM and was pushing for federal form of government.
Over-all the
balloting in Pikit, listed as area of immediate concern before the plebiscite,
was generally peaceful, the police said.
Whatever is
the decision of the majority, whatever is the cause of Bangsamoro and whatever
is good for the majority, I am not a hindrance to it, Sultan said. (FC)