6 ARMM officials resign amid Palace order to stay

Acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin Adiong. PHOTO BY JESS YUSON

COTABATO CITY – Six officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) submitted their letters of resignation Friday, despite a Malacañang directive asking them to remain in their posts in holdover capacity after September 30 to prevent leadership vacuum in their offices.

The Malacañang directive was issued after the Supreme Court came out with a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the selection of officers-in-charge who would run the region from September 30 until new elections would have been held. This was prescribed by a congressional act that reset the elections from August 8 this year to 2013.

Acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin Adiong has not accepted the resignation of the officials but also asked others to follow suit.

He said he wanted “fresh minds” to help him in running the affairs of the region until a new set of officials had been elected.

Ali Macabalang, who resigned his post as chief of the ARMM’s bureau of public information, said among those who submitted their courtesy resignations were ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo, Regional Board of Investments chief Ishak Mastura, Bureau of Cultural Heritage Executive Director Bai Ashrafia Alonto-Biruar, Science and Technology Secretary Frandzkhan Ilaji and Office of Development Assistance Director David Ali.

Macabalang said Adiong may accept or reject the courtesy resignation depending on the performance of individual officials during their past 20 months in office.

“This is our way of expressing a sense of delicadeza in public service as an essential way through reform in governance that is purportedly sought by those who advocate for elections postponement,” Macabalang said.