Lorenzana asked MILF to pull out its members from polling areas

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday said he asked Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leader Sammy Al Mansour to order the group's members to pull out from schools during the conduct of Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite on Monday.

"On voting day yesterday (Monday), there were lots of people loitering inside voting precincts slowing down the voting and preventing voters from going in. I communicated this concern to Sammy who assured me that they would cooperate with the military and police," Lorenzana said.

The 6th Infantry Division was also ordered to clear precincts and to use force if necessary but no untoward incident occurred, he added.

Lorenzana disclosed that he also contacted Mansour on January 20, a day before the plebiscite "when several thousands of MILF from outside Cotabato city were brought in by buses."

"I told him to bring them back to where they came from. He apologized for the gaffe and by evening of January 20 they were out if the city," he said.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process earlier said that the January 21 plebiscite was a success and that the participation of the MILF who cast their votes "signifies their commitment to decommission and transform from a revolutionary group to a democratic political party."

The BOL aims to establish a Bangsamoro Autonomous Region which will replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

Once passed into law, a Bangsamoro Parliament, to be voted for by the residents, will govern the region.

The Bangsamoro region will be entitled to five percent of the net national internal revenue collection of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs, and P5 billion worth of Special Development Fund annually for the next 10 years starting 2019. —NB, GMA News