“The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy.” — John Lewis, United States civil rights leader and lawmaker
TOMORROW, Sept. 14, more than 2 million registered voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are expected to make history. For the first time, they will elect the parliament that will govern their autonomous region.
The world will be watching.
The International Republican Institute has announced the arrival of an international delegation to observe the parliamentary elections. Filipino election watchdogs and Bangsamoro civil society groups will also be watching. The Commission on Elections (Comelec), meanwhile, has entered the final stage of preparations for an election that has been postponed repeatedly but is finally upon us.
Yet, perhaps the more important question is not who will watch the election, but who will guard the Bangsamoro ballot?
There will certainly be no shortage of uniformed personnel.
Months ago, the government’s plans were already substantial. An April command conference involving Comelec, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) committed to creating what officials called a “fear-free” environment in which Bangsamoro voters could cast their ballots with confidence.
At that time, the PNP expected to deploy close to 9,000 police officers, while the AFP planned five joint task forces. As election day approached, the security presence increased further. More than 10,000 military personnel have reportedly been mobilized, in addition to thousands of police officers.
The numbers are understandable. Elections in areas that now make up the BARMM have long been marked, in some places, by intense political rivalries, private armed groups, clan conflicts and intimidation.
In an earlier column, I borrowed Abraham Lincoln’s observation that the ballot is stronger than the bullet. In the Bangsamoro tomorrow, that proposition will face a real-world test.
But there is a paradox here. Security forces are necessary precisely because voters must be protected from violence and intimidation. Yet, an overwhelming presence of armed men can itself make communities uneasy. The measure of successful election security, therefore, cannot simply be the number of soldiers and policemen deployed.
It must be whether ordinary citizens feel free enough to vote.
The AFP itself has described its responsibility as protecting “the will of the people” so citizens can exercise their right to vote freely and without fear. That is the standard by which election security should eventually be judged.
Independent observation matters for the same reason. The arrival of international observers signals that what happens in the BARMM is being watched beyond Mindanao and the Philippines. But foreign observers cannot confer legitimacy upon a Bangsamoro government. Neither can Comelec, Malacañang, the AFP or the PNP.
They can protect the process. They can observe it. They can document irregularities. They can help ensure that rules are followed. But legitimacy must come from the Bangsamoro people themselves. That is what makes tomorrow fundamentally different from everything that came before it.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority derived its mandate from the peace agreement, the Bangsamoro Organic Law and presidential appointment. It performed the difficult work of building institutions for a political entity emerging from decades of armed struggle and negotiation.
Tomorrow begins the transition from appointment to consent. The people will decide who deserves to govern them.
This is also why I hesitate to describe the election as the “completion” of the political track of the peace process, although a national government official used precisely that description earlier this year.
An election can complete a transitional arrangement. It cannot complete democracy. Indeed, the harder work may begin on Sept. 15.
Those who win must understand that an electoral mandate is not permission to monopolize power. Those who lose must be prepared to respect legitimate results. Political parties must learn that parliamentary democracy requires both government and opposition. Citizens who vote tomorrow must remain citizens the day afterward: watching their representatives, demanding transparency, and holding them accountable.
Even the government’s own conception of “positive peace” recognizes this. Peace, according to Opapru, goes beyond the absence of armed conflict. It requires strong institutions, inclusive governance and equitable opportunities. In the Bangsamoro specifically, it has been linked to accountable government, rule of law, low corruption, social cohesion and equitable distribution of resources.
Those are much harder tests than conducting one peaceful election.
Tomorrow, soldiers and policemen will guard voting centers. The Comelec will guard electoral procedures. Filipino and international observers will watch the process.
But none of them owns the ballot. The ballot belongs to the Bangsamoro people.
After decades in which political demands were expressed through rebellion, negotiation, legislation and transition, ordinary citizens finally have the opportunity to express their will directly.
The world may be watching. But tomorrow, the Bangsamoro must choose
