Rooms for additional mayors in Ampatuan country

Less than a year before the May elections, 3 more municipalities have been created in Maguindanao, site of the November 23 massacre that has been attributed to the Ampatuan clan that holds most elective positions in the province.

Thirteen new barangays have also been created in various parts of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Even before these new local government units (LGUs), ARMM is the region where the most number of local governments have been created in recent years.

Currently, at least 10 mayoral and vice mayoral positions are occupied by members of the Ampatuan family. The patriarch is the provincial governor. Another Ampatuan is the governor of the ARMM. Two other towns are ruled by members of the Mangudadatu clan.

The November 23 massacre is linked to a Mangudadatu's intent to challenge an Ampatuan in the 2010 gubernatorial race.

The three new Maguindanao municipalities are Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Datu Salibo, and Shariff Saydona Mustapha. Their creation brings the total number of towns in Maguindanao to 36.

Datu Hoffer Ampatuan was created by regrouping 9 barangays from the towns of Shariff Aguak and Datu Unsay (where the massacre happened). It was created by Muslim Mindanao Act 220.

Datu Salibo was created by regrouping 17 barangays from the towns of Datu Piang and Datu Saudi Ampatuan. Fourteen barangays from Shariff Aguak, Mamasapano, Datu Unsay, Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Piang comprise the newly-created Shariff Saydona Mustapha. Datu Salibo and Shariff Saydona Mustapha were created by MMA No. 253 and 220, respectively.

The creation of these towns were ratified in a plebiscte held last July 30.

Avoiding clan wars

Meanwhile, 13 new barangays were also created in the region. Twelve of these barangays are in Maguindanao, while the other one is in Lanao del Sur.

The new towns in Maguindanao are: Moro Point, Pura, Alonganan, Balanakan, Buayan, Dado, Damabalas, Duaminanga, Kalipapa, Liong, Magaslong, Masigay.

Upper Pugaan, meanwhile, is the newest town in Lanao del Sur.

The ARMM has recently experienced as surge in the number of LGUs. In December 2005, the region was composed only of 5 provinces, 101 municipalities, and 2,461 barangays. Now,  the region has 5 provinces, 1 city, 117 municipalities and 2,486 barangays.

Benedicto Bacani of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance told Newsbreak in a previous interview that the division of existing LGUs and the creation of new ones are viewed as a way of avoiding rido or clan war that may stem from political rivalries over local government positions.

Creation of these LGUs, he added, give each political family in the region an enclave to govern.

The ARMM's lawmaking body, the Regional Legislative Assembly, was given powers by the Expanded ARMM Law to to set their own criteria in merging, dividing, abolishing, and creating new provinces, cities, municipalities or barangays.

Abused powers

The Supreme Court, however,clipped RLA's power in creating provinces when it voided the creation of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan last year. Shariff Kabunsuan was carved out of the province of Maguindanao.

Sukarno Tanggol, a professor at the Mindanao State University, told Newsbreak that the power of RLA in creating and dividing LGUs has been abused by the regional officials.

"It will only prevent conflict within the family. They are only thinking in terms of their family interests," Sukarno said in a telephone interview adding that these creation of smaller political units happen to give each member of political clan a position he or she can ran for in the elections.

"It distribute the goods within the ruling family only and not the entire territory," he added.

The ARMM is the poorest region in the Philippines. The 2008/2009 Philippine Human Develoment Report also put all of the ARMM provinces in its list of ten provinces with the worst quality of life. Provinces in the region are almost 100 percent dependent on the internal revenue allotment.

"If we reduce the number of municipalities, development will come," Tanggol said."It's better to have few local officials to pay considering the limited income of the region." (Newsbreak)

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• Dividing Like Amoebas  
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• Supreme Court voids creation of Shariff Kabunsuan  
• Cory gave Ampatuan patriarch his break

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