TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR JUAN MIGUEL ZUBIRI
Vice-Chair Senate Committee on Local Government

ON THE POSTPONEMENT OF ARMM ELECTIONS

Sen. Migz: Hindi sumipot ang secretaries nuong hearing namin sa Marawi eh we want to them some fundamental questions like for example what's their time frame, what's their plan of action, what's their master plan for the 21 months in case they want to appoint and what will be the criteria of appointment? As far as i am concerned, until they answer that satisfactorily, I'd definitely be against the approval of any measure postponing the election and appointment of officials, so that is my stand.

I would support the committee chairman. It will depend on how many people will sign the measure, if we get more votes or more signatures than (those calling for) postponement then we in the Senate will concur with the committee report of Senator Bong Bong Marcos...simple majority lang iyan. Kung hindi namin maipasa by June 8....if it is not approved it will be archived because it is time bound, unless the President calls for a special session, if the President calls for special session ibang usapan iyon.The authors of the bill, Senator Drilon, am sure will stand up and debate on it...that is the prerogative of the chairman, the chairman is the king in his committee, if the chairman feels that this is the recommendation that should be brought upon to our colleagues then that should be his prerogative. I would respect the chairman on that part, being the vice chairman of the committee, i fully support, fully in support of the moves of the chairman.

Main arguments against postponement during the hearing?

It runs counter to autonomy, the postponement and appointment, iyung malaking hadlang duon iyung appointment, in all the hearings that we had, particularly in Marawi the biggest stumbling block really is the appointment ayaw nila kasi 21 months eh. There is precedence already to postponement - it's been postponed 8 times, but for short periods of time, not more than six months and at a hold over capacity, so nagkakaroon ng hold over capacity iyung mga elected leaders, ang gusto nila ngayon ay postponement and then appointment.

The arguments against the postponement and appointment are that it runs counter to the autonomous character of the region. They claimed that if that is the case then they will vow again to Imperial Manila's wishes. Pangalawa, they suggested civil disobediences, which at the later part of the hearing, because of impassioned speeches there were mayors and exgovernor who basically said that there could be a possibility of a jihad because we are insulting the death of almost 100 thousand Muslims who had fought during the early 1970s-80s war on autonomy which led to the Tripoli agreement which is now the Organic Act...We are going backwards to out commitment to autonomy to our Muslim brothers.

Overwhelming ang support namin nila Chiz, BongBong sa mga tao but it will be part of the committee report of the chairman. He will show in his committee report what he wants to show the sentiments given out in the hearings, these are impassioned, practical, firm statement of support for the elections to continue. I as a senator from Mindanao, i can not just look back, I can not just ignore the sentiments of these gentlemen and ladies who had spoken during the hearing. Event bishops ha have spoken that they are against postponement because it would lead to a possibility of war, even the bishop of Cotabato had warned me Bishop Vagaforro that if we do that there is a possibility of the MILF going back into violent mode because of the disrespect of the organic act.

Nagheadcount na kayo? So hindi makakakuha ng majority vote?

I doubt, if any it's going to be a long tedious debate, hindi puwedeng madaliin ito, one week lang approved agad hindi pwede yun.