Cotabato City, Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao vote ‘Yes’ in BOL plebiscite

Voters in Cotabato erupted in chants of "Allahu Akbar" after the Commission on Elections officer in the city announced on Tuesday night the final tally in the plebiscite, ratifying its inclusion in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Lanao Del Sur and Maguindanao also voted for their inclusion in the BARMM as shown in the final and unofficial tallies of the Comelec.

The BOL received 36,682 "yes" votes and 24,994 "no" votes in Cotabato City; 503,420 "yes" votes and 9,735 "no" votes in Lanao Del Sur; 599,581 "yes" votes and 9,096 "no" votes in Maguindanao.

The results will become official when they are canvassed by the Comelec in Manila.

The ratification of the BOL appeared to be winning by a landslide, initial figures from the Comelec's BOL Plebiscite Center showed on Tuesday afternoon.

As of 1:30 p.m., 1,340,043 million voters in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao voted 'yes' to the BOL while 192,502 said 'no'.

The plebiscite was held on Monday in the areas under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Basilan, Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, Marawi City and Lamitan City), Cotabato City, Isabela City in Basilan.

Another plebiscite will be held on February 6 in six towns in Lanao Del Norte (Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagaloan and Tangcal) and 39 barangays in the towns of Aleosan, Carmen, Cabacan, Midsayap, Pigkawayan and Pikit in North Cotabato.

Cotabato City, along with Isabela City, earlier opted out of ARMM.  

An independent component city, Cotabato City refused to join ARMM in the 1989 and 2001 plebiscites, and remained in Region XII (Soccsksargen).

Despite at least one physical altercation at a precinct and two grenades lobbed in separate instances with no recorded fatalities, as well as delays caused by the pullout of some teachers as Board of Elections Inspectors, the conduct of the first day of the plebiscite was deemed "generally peaceful" by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The military, however, also said that it will be guided by the day's events to make "adjustments" when the second day of the plebiscite is held in two weeks' time.

Signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on July 26, 2018, the BOL creates the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The new region will have land and water jurisdiction, fiscal autonomy, and an increased share in national government resources, among others.

LOOK: The core provisions in the Bangsamoro Organic Law

—NB/BM, GMA News