WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Over 800,000 eligible voters hold Maguindanao’s fate in their hands on Saturday, September 17, as they vote to decide on the province’s proposed split into two.
The one-day plebiscite is set to determine whether law signed by then-president Rodrigo Duterte in 2021 will be successfully ratified.
With the lack of visible opposition campaigners, local officials have been expecting residents to accept the province’s division into two: Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.
Bookmark and refresh this page for updates on the Maguindanao plebiscite.
LATEST UPDATES
Lente also deploys volunteers
Poll watchdog Lente has also deployed volunteers on the ground to monitor the conduct of the plebiscite, and the preparatory activities, such as the posting of voter list, arrival of ballots, and distribution of ballot boxes in polling places.
— Dwight De Leon (@newsdwight) September 17, 2022
📷 @lente_ph pic.twitter.com/cK1SPM1ZnK
‘Very few voters’ as of 8 am at Datu Luminog Mangelen Pilot Elementary School
Namfrel says “very few voters so far” as of 8 am at Datu Luminog Mangelen Pilot Elementary School in Buluan, Maguindanao.
— Dwight De Leon (@newsdwight) September 17, 2022
📷 @Namfrel pic.twitter.com/Pcn38vwfWP
LOOK: Soldier on his way to help secure Madrasah Hairia Muslim School
A soldier walks on sacks of sand in a row to avoid wetting his combat boots on his way to help in securing the Madrasah Hairia Muslim School in Buluan, Maguindanao, during the September 17 plebiscite. (Photo: Namfrel) #MaguindanaoPlebiscite @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/QNn8bl8z8b
— Herbie Gomez (@herbie_gomez) September 16, 2022
EARLIER: Comelec holds final briefing on Friday night, September 16
LAST NIGHT: Comelec Chairman George Garcia and Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino held a final briefing with local officials on the conduct of the Maguindanao plebiscite. Ferolino thanks local officials for their efforts on the electoral exercise. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/Hmdn7fZyI9
— Dwight De Leon (@newsdwight) September 16, 2022
Comelec Chairman George Garcia says they hope at least 60% of Maguindanao's 818,790 registered voters will participate in the plebiscite. "We can only ensure that if people have that believe that they can go to the precincts with any harassment."
— Dwight De Leon (@newsdwight) September 16, 2022
📸 Garcia’s office pic.twitter.com/dyQ7EPDcTi
8-hour Maguindanao plebiscite begins
The eight-hour plebiscite that will determine if Maguindanao would be divided into two provinces started at 7 am on Saturday, September 17, as precincts opened across Maguindanao.
Plebiscite precincts will remain open until 3 pm on Saturday.
The political exercise is reminiscent of a similar plebiscite 16 years ago when Maguindanao’s voters ratified a law of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that created the province of Shariff Kabunsuan out of 10 northern towns carved out of the approximately 4,900-square kilometer territory.
The big difference now is that Maguindanao’s voters would ratify or reject a law crafted and passed by the Philippine Congress and signed by then-president Rodrigo Duterte in 2021.
In contrast, Shariff Kabunsuan ceased to exist after two years when the Supreme Court (SC) ruled against the ARMM law’s constitutionality.
Plebiscite begins
Outside a classroom in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, a man looks for his name on the voter list. If Maguindanao is divided into two, Datu Odin Sinsuat will be the capital of the new Maguindanao del Norte.
— Dwight De Leon (@newsdwight) September 16, 2022
📷 @Namfrel pic.twitter.com/Hglv7EnX82
Poll watchdog Namfrel monitors the opening of polls in Kabuntalan, Maguindanao. The said citizens' arm, which has deployed observers on the ground. is tweeting live updates on the plebiscite.
— Dwight De Leon (@newsdwight) September 16, 2022
📷 @Namfrel pic.twitter.com/l8aao5KzJQ
Namfrel is Comelec’s citizens’ arm for Maguindanao poll
The Commission on Elections has accredited the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) as citizens’ arm for the Maguindanao plebiscite on Saturday, September 17.
Namfrel’s Maguindanao chapter will be deploying volunteers to observe the proceedings on poll day.
Its national chairperson, Lito Averia, is in Cotabato City to help oversee the activities.
What to expect on the day of the Maguindanao plebiscite
The plebiscite will determine whether a 2021 law that split the province into Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur will be ratified.
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) September 16, 2022
Here are the crucial details about Saturday’s electoral exercise. #PHVote https://t.co/9HSzG1eQWP pic.twitter.com/cjvtOyXfnm
Maguindanao split to tighten political grip of ruling clans
A split would mean Maguindanao Governor Mariam Mangudadatu would serve as the leader of Maguindanao del Sur – a much smaller territory compared to the present province – while her political ally, Vice Governor Ainee Sinsuat, would automatically become the first governor of Maguindanao del Norte.
Mangudadatu, the first female governor of Maguindanao, and Sinsuat come from well-entrenched political families in the predominantly Muslim province.
The political influence of the governor’s family extends beyond Maguindanao – her husband Suharto served as governor of neighboring Sultan Kudarat province, and he was succeeded by their son Pax Ali this year.
Read more.