THE Commission on Elections should prepare for the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in August instead of rushing the Senate to approve a measure postponing the polls, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said.

“The mere proposal to postpone does not give them the right not to prepare. The inefficiencies or some problems we have encountered in the recent barangay elections and lack of preparation or the lack of ability to monitor the elections around the country should not happen in ARMM since it is not a nationwide election but only for a specific geographical unit in our country,” Cayetano said.

Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Juan Miguel Zubiri also objected to the deferment of the ARMM polls, saying there is no time to tackle the measures of Sen. Franklin Drilon and Reps.Bai Sandra Sema, Arlene Bag-Ao, Emilio Joseph Abaya, and Erin Tanada.

Malacanang wants to postpone the ARMM polls to address three things: address the peace and order problem in the South, finish the audit of ARMM funds; and clean the voters’ list.

“There are still many things that need to be done for this bill to pass. The core question of synchronization is open to different opinions. Those who will actually conduct the election—the Comelec, the watchdog organizations  like the Namfrel and the PPCRV- all feel that it should be separate for  the simple reason that it requires special attention,” Marcos said.