WATCH: PCSO 9 PM Lotto Draw, October 11, 2021

WATCH: PCSO 5 PM Lotto Draw, October 11, 2021

Duterte spox believes Bangsamoro polls to be postponed until 2025

President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman on Monday said it is likely that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao's (BARMM) first regular elections next year would be postponed after legislative measures pushing for it have hurdled both chambers of Congress. 

The Senate last week ratified the reconciled version of the bills seeking to postpone the BARMM elections until 2025, leaving the measure up for Duterte's approval. 

"All I know is that both houses have passed it, so there is no impediment for it to become law. It becomes law if the President does not sign it within a certain number of days," said the President's spokesman Harry Roque. 

"Sa akin po, wala na pong gusot 'yan. I think the elections will really be postponed, and the members of the BARMM will be appointed by the President," he said in a press briefing. 

(For me, there's no more problem.)

Under the reconciled bill, the landmark Bangsamoro Organic Law would be amended to indicate that the region's first regular elections would be in 2025, instead of 2022.

A provision of the bill says the President may appoint a new set of interim officials of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority or the region's parliament.

The current BTA, sitting as the region's parliament, has yet to enact its own electoral code, a crucial document needed to govern the supposed elections in May 2022. 

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim earlier vowed to finalize the region's electoral code in the first quarter of 2021, but the document has yet to materialize 8 months away from the May 2022 polls.

The BTA lobbied to postpone the elections, citing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but other groups in the region are opposing the move.

The establishment of the BARMM and its government fulfills major provisions of the 2014 peace accord of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the national government, fostering hopes for an end to the cycle of violence in the southern Philippines.

The BARMM is considered to adequately address the historical and socio-political roots of the nearly decades-long Muslim insurgency in the country.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/11/21/duterte-spox-believes-bangsamoro-polls-to-be-postponed

Southern Leyte voters to elect 2 reps in Congress for the 1st time

TACLOBAN CITY––For the first time in history, voters of Southern Leyte province will elect two representatives in the 2022 elections.

Republic Act 11198, which was approved on Feb. 19, 2019, reapportioned the lone congressional district of the province into two.

Rep. Roger Mercado, who is seeking a new term for the province’s first congressional district, sponsored the law.

The first district, which has a voting population of 132,114 as of the 2019 elections, covers Maasin City and the towns of Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Limasawa, Malitbog, Tomas Opus, and Bontoc.

Mercado will be slugging it out for the post against two other candidates.

Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, Saint Bernard, Anahawan, San Juan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan, and Silago towns comprise the newly created second congressional district, which has more than 160,200 registered voters.

Vice Gov. Christopher Yap, a political ally of Mercado, will run for congressman in the district.

Four others have filed their certificates of candidacy for the same post.

Mercado earlier said that having two representatives would mean more funding from the national government and Congress.

His brother, Damian, is seeking another term as governor of the province, while his son, Naccional, is running for his third term as mayor of Maasin City.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1500288/southern-leyte-voters-to-elect-2-reps-in-congress-for-the-1st-time

WATCH: PCSO 2 PM Lotto Draw, October 11, 2021

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Horse trading begins

NOW that everyone has filed their certificates of candidacies – some unsurprisingly and some major head-scratchers – the horse-trading begins. I say this because I suspect that between the 5 p.m. deadline last Friday and the November 15 deadline for substitutions, parties and aspirants for President and Vice President (mainly) will be evaluating their chances and seeing whether those changes will be better off if they strike alliances with others.

Even if it means sacrificing those they had previously devoted to to be their “ideal” running mates.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno already sounded like he was dumping his own vice-presidential pick when he said he was open to working with Vice President Rodrigo Duterte. I suppose Mayor Isko was just simply responding to a question that acknowledged our penchant as voters for splitting our tickets. But I would have coated that answer about a hypothetical situation where he wins and Duterte (and not Dr. Willie Ong) wins with something like “but of course I expect Willie Ong to win with me.”

It might be too much to expect of Isko to say “if you won’t vote for Willie Ong then don’t vote for me.” Hehe. (PRRD said that about Alan Cayetano during the campaign, yes? But as we all know now, PRRD was joking half of the time then.)

So, if I were to make wild guesses about who would be engaged in horse-trading and with whom, these are my wild bets:

First: the camp of BBM would be looking for a solid and dependable vice president from the admin side. I suspect that Davao Mayor Sara Duterte would be the first and best choice, followed by PRRD himself. Declared PDP Laban VP candidate Sen. Bong Go would be a distant third. But we all know that in the case of Mayora Sara she has time and again stated that she is gunning for her third and last term as mayor of Davao.

And we all know that Duterte’s word is as good as gold.

A VP from the Duterte camp would be the ultimate “seal of approval” for BBM from the Duterte forces. Not that they can’t drop him and vote for someone else as President – but who??

Mayor Isko, maybe. Especially after he made a very telling 180-degree turnaround in his attitude towards and statements about PRRD. Wasn’t that just in August that he was combative towards the outgoing President, even during the latter to come to Tondo as if inviting him to a fistfight? Those words made some people I now sit up and give Isko a second look. And to some people in the opposition worried that VP Leni would refuse to run, he was looking more and more like the choice.

Then Isko changed colors, became kinder and gentler towards PRRD, with someone from Aksyon Demokratiko even saying that they never claimed to be in opposition to Duterte.

This means, in effect, that they are going to engage BBM in the battle for the DDS votes.

“Duterte-lite” Kasi, as some of my suspicious friends describe him.

That may be too much, but it doesn’t help the suspicious sorts to note that his key handlers are fresh from the PRRD camp. Hmm.

VP Leni may also still be in horse-trading mode, and if this were true I’d suspect that the VP slot is up for grabs. I say this because I seem to have sensed that Sen. Kiko Pangilinan was reluctant in accepting the challenge, and was happy to just be running for re-election.

Secondly, pitting Sen. Kiko against SP Tito Sotto pits Sharon Cuneta against aunt Helen Gamboa – and splits the movie and entertainment world. What for? Third, a Leni-Sotto ticket would be more “inclusive” because Sotto is not “Dilawan,” although his dalliance with Duterte during most of the past five years turns off many of the solid yellows who cannot brook the slightest hint of having entered into accommodations with the President.

But wait – didn’t the VP herself hold a Cabinet post at one point?

Of course, a Leni-Sotto alliance would require that Sen. Ping Lacson back out. Will he? Is he the type to bite if offered a Cabinet post of his choice?

And then there’s Manny Pacquiao, who retains a certain appeal with a certain segment of our population, but whose chances seem to have gone down tremendously since losing his last fight. Will he plod on, or will he offer to be vice president to someone from Luzon for that geographic balance?

These are my wild guesses. Do you have yours?

Personal: Happy birthday Councilor Aldrin Sta. Ana of Bocaue, Bulacan; Dr. Randy Nobleza; Treasurer Jenny Redondo of Barangay Sulpoc, Tanauan City, Batangas; Aileen A. Comia; Sentro Balita producer Essen Mei Miguel; Ronalyn Rosauro; Pilar Rocafort mother of Reymark Morete Rocafort; Atty. King Collantes; Councilor Edgardo Sison of Rodriguez, Rizal; Councilor Johnny Aguirre of Looc, Occidental Mindoro; Kapitana Susan Hernandez Hermano of Barangay Gulod, Cabuyao, Laguna; Blue Montilla; Boy Buenaventura of Tarlac; Arvin Adao; Jun Robles Lana direk Jun happy birthday; Buboy Garovillo belated happy birthday; Tita Myrna dela Torre  belated happy birthday po;  Peter John Parco and John Paul Parco; Yvhernee Valdez; Quezon Provincial Treasurer Head Marilou Uy; Libra Neth; Sec Len Manuel Dela Cruz; Joseph Bien Salazar; Sarry Seismundo; Marie Ross Cruz; Jocelyn J. Domingo; Councilor Ryan Ted Millares of Pateros; Shane Arranda; Amy Corpus; Garizaldy JR Macapagal; Rev. Fr. Ronnie Provido; CEDU Department Head Fiel Vida happy wedding anniversary Aldrin and Marie Grace Barotil

https://malayaph.com/news_opinion/horse-trading-begins/