Author Topic: Brouhaha Within Citizens CARE Group  (Read 553 times)

pioneer

  • To God be the glory alone
  • FOUNDER
  • GURU
  • *****
  • Posts: 18911
  • stay at home
    • View Profile
    • spiritual preparation
Brouhaha Within Citizens CARE Group
« on: October 20, 2010, 08:02:45 AM »
The personnel, including some members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of a poll monitoring group in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said that an internal squabble in their organization will prevent them from monitoring the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in the region on Oct. 25.

Early June this year, the Citizens Coalition for ARMM Electoral Reforms (Citizens CARE), a poll monitoring group created in 2005, has issued a media advisory that it would monitor the Oct. 25 polls, saying it had more than 6,000 poll volunteers scattered across the region to keep watch on the conduct of the elections.

But the recent events that have ‘unfolded’ have changed ‘course’, according to one of the personnel of the Citizens CARE, a poll monitoring group whose project, Strengthening Electoral Process through Voters Education and Election Monitoring (SEPVEEM), is being funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with technical assistance from the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES).

One of the latest developments, according to Romie Guialel, a member of the BoT from the first district of Maguindanao province, was the brewing ‘rift’ between and among members of the BoT and the executive committee.

The rift has affected the personnel of the Citizens CARE, according to Guialel.

On Oct. 5, the personnel of the Citizens CARE regional office were surprised to see their office padlocked.

The regional office of the Citizens CARE is on the fifth floor of the Cotabato Yu Ekey Marketing Company Inc. building located along Don Rufino Alonzo Street in Cotabato City .

According to Guialel, each of the four personnel of the Citizens CARE was given a key to the office building.

Two new padlocks were used to lock the office.

Guialel was certain the new members of the Citizens CARE’s executive committee, elected in a general assembly in Iligan City on Sept. 14, were behind the padlocking.

When asked, the four personnel of the Citizens CARE said they have not received any termination letter from their new chair, Jumda Saba-ani, also a project officer of the Muslimah Resource Development Center based in Jolo, Sulu.

Saba-ani’s co-chair is Salic Ibrahim, executive director of the Maranao People’s Development Center and the former chairperson of the Citizens CARE; secretary-general is Hanie Bud of the Samahan at Lingap Angat para sa Mahihirap; treasurer is Thaiba Anwar of the Basilan Women Integrated Foundation; and auditor is Ibrahim Abdulsamad of the Mindanao Integrity of Muslim Associations (MIMA).

Norodin Manalao, project director of SEPVEEM ARMM Phase 3 of the Citizens CARE, said: “What’s happening right now with the Citizens CARE is a result of some misunderstandings, and at present, self interest of some members of the group has prevailed. Because of this, our monitoring of the Oct. 25 elections would be affected. If there would be monitoring, we just don’t know how comprehensive it would be.”

Also, Guialel said the ‘brewing rift’ has prompted other partner organizations of the Citizens CARE to pull out and withdraw their support to the coalition.

He, however, refused to identify the groups.

It started when Guialel and another BoT member from 2nd district of Maguindanao, Dr. Pendatun Pangadil, and Musa Aming, a BoT member from Tawi-Tawi, were expelled from the BoT membership in a BoT board meeting held in Zamboanga City on March 28.

Also on March 28, the Board decided to suspend the coalition’s secretary-general, Arlene Aming, for three counts: insubordination; for misleading other members of the group; and for creating a ‘plot’ against the existing BoT to fulfill her personal interests.

In a resolution, the BoT said they decided to oust them when they refused to abide by the Board’s decision that the coalition’s new project to be funded by the European Union (EU) will hold its office in Davao City since it is the hub of Mindanao and all other partners and beneficiaries all over the region can freely go without hesitation on security matters.

On Aug. 7, Ibrahim, then Citizens CARE chair, citing as basis Special Order Number 01810, which merged the Provincial Management Committees (PMCs) of the defunct Shariff Kabunsuan and Maguindanao, has designated Sahid Ali to constitute the new BoT member for the new Maguindanao PMC.

On Aug. 18, Ibrahim ordered Citizens CARE-IFES project secretariat to first, account and retrieve all Citizens CARE properties, papers, and records of the two former Maguindanao PMCs; second, provide secretariat support for the creation of a new Maguindanao PMC; and third, provide necessary equipment needed by the new PMC.

On Sept. 13, former BoT members Guialel and Pangadil filed petition for injunction and prohibition with prayer for a temporary restraining order (TRO) at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Cotabato City .

According to them, their expulsion as BoT members was illegal and resulted to great and irreparable damage and injury to them, and that there was no plain, speedy, and adequate remedy available, except issuance of a TRO.

The next day, RTC Executive Judge Bansawan Ibrahim issued a 72-hour TRO and directed Citizens CARE chair Saba-ani and other members of the executive committee to refrain from enforcing the impugned resolutions.

Judge Ibrahim said that the petition filed by the petitioners was sufficient in form and substance and allowed facts entitling them to the relief demanded.

After the lapse of the TRO, the RTC ordered the respondents to answer the complaints filed against them within 15 days after they received the summons.

The first hearing of the case took place last October 13, court records showed.

The Citizens CARE, since its creation in 2005, has monitored several political exercises in the region, including the ARMM elections in August 2005 and August 2008; senatorial and local elections in May 2007; barangay and SK elections in October 2007; and the national and local elections last May.

“With the rift going on, I am sad our mission of effecting electoral reforms in this part of the country through election monitoring and voters education is put in jeopardy,” said Guialel.

Guialel is among the original members and founding chairperson of the coalition when it was still a fledgling organization.

When asked of their reactions, both Saba-ani and Ibrahim have kept silent. They also refused to reply to text messages sent to them by this writer.

An IFES staff, in a text message, said, “IFES, as the funding organization, deems it best for Citizens CARE to settle the issues internally given their nature. As such, we fully respect whatever the decision of the coalition’s officers/general assembly as they resolve their own internal issues.” (PNA)
RMA/nyp/MCM/mec

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=33545.0
Romans 10:9
"That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."
👇👇👇
Na-try mo na ba yung Tala app? Reliable sa unexpected expenses at laking tulong sa future! Use this code 9SO1TSL or visit www.tala.com to sign up!

unionbank online loan application low interest, credit card, easy and fast approval

Tags: