63 North Cotabato barangays joining new Bangsamoro region: Comelec

February 14, 2019

Sixty-three of 67 barangays in North Cotabato voted to join the newly-formed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), while all six towns from Lanao del Norte will stay in Northern Mindanao.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), sitting as the National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers (NPBOC) announced this after finishing canvassing results of the February 6 referendum in seven towns in North Cotabato and in Lanao del Norte, excluding Iligan City.

Based on canvassed votes, the towns of Balo-i, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan, and Tangkal in Lanao del Norte agreed to be included in the BARMM.

However, other towns of Lanao del Norte voted against the inclusion of the six municipalities.

“The Commission on Elections, sitting en banc as the NPBOC, hereby proclaims that the municipalities of Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan, and Tangkal, all of the province of Lanao del Norte, shall not form part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” said the  proclamation.

“While the majority of votes cast in the following municipalities are in favor of the inclusion, the majority of votes cast in Lanao del Norte, however, is not in favor in the inclusion of the BARMM,” it added.

In North Cotabato, the affirmative vote won in a total of 63 barangays, specifically Midsayap (13), Pigkawayan (12), Kabacan (seven), Carmen (seven), Pikit (22), and Aleosan (two).

“(These barangays) shall form part of the BARMM considering that they voted favorably for their inclusion in the BARMM and that the majority of the votes cast in the municipalities to which these barangays belong is in favor of their inclusion in the BARMM,” said the NPBOC.

On the other hand, the plebiscite showed ''no'' votes in four barangays, particularly in Aleosan (two), Pikit (one), and Tulunan (one).

“Also, we proclaim that the following barangays in North Cotabato shall not form part of the BARMM considering that while they voted favorably for their inclusion, majority of the votes from the municipalities to which these barangays belong, is not in favor of their inclusion in the BARMM,” said the NPBOC.

The plebiscite requires a double majority before an inclusion is approved.

This means the “mother unit” and the concerned area must both agree with the inclusion.

Last month, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) had been ratified by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) during the first round of the plebiscite.

Cotabato City decided to join the BARMM, while Isabela City continued to exclude itself. DMS