Philippine Council for Islam & Democracy calls President Arroyo to appoint Muslim lawyer in Comelec

AT A TIME WHEN THE PHILIPPINE ELECTORAL PROCESS IS CLOUDED BY ALLEGATIONS OF CHEATING AND MANIPULATION, THERE IS A NEED TO RESTORE THE PEOPLE'S TRUST IN THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM. THE PUBLIC, AND INDEED EVEN THOSE OBSERVING PHILIPPINE DEMOCRACY AT WORK, MUST BE ABLE TO SEE THAT THE STRUCTURES ARE CREDIBLE. GIVEN THE NEGATIVE PERCEPTION THAT THE COMELEC HAS, IT OBVIOUSLY NEEDS MAJOR REFORMS. A CRUCIAL FIRST STEP IN THAT DIRECTION IS THE APPOINTMENT OF A COMMISSIONER WITH KNOWN DEDICATION, INDEPENDENCE, AND PROBITY.

The Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID) therefore endorses former Human Rights Commissioner Nasser Marohomsalic as COMELEC Commissioner.

Commissioner Marohomsalic is an excellent example of servant leadership. A native of Rumayas, Lumba-a-Bayabao, Lanao del Sur, he finished his law degree in 1981 at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, and passed the Bar given the same year.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 at the Far Eastern University in Manila. An honorary alumnus of the Mindanao State University, he spent two years of liberal arts education at the University in Marawi City.

In 1988, President Corazon C. Aquino appointed him as one of the Commissioners of the Regional Consultative Commission for Muslim Mindanao, a deliberative and constitutional body which assisted Congress in the framing of the 1989 Organic Act of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Republic Act No. 6734).

In the Department of Foreign Affairs, Commissioner Marohomsalic served as Special Assistant of Secretary Raul S. Manglapus from 1990 to July 1992.

On November 27, 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos appointed him as Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights with a term of seven years.

Under a research project funded by the Mindanao State University and the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation, Commissioner Marohomsalic wrote a book entitled, Aristocrats of the Malay Race: A History of the Bangsa Moro Muslims in the Philippines in 2001.

A collection of his speeches as Commissioner of Human Rights was published in 1999 by the Institute of Foreign Service under the title, Towards Peace, Autonomy and Human Rights. Many of his articles are published in journals, books, and national dailies.

The PCID firmly believes that Commissioner Marohomsalic's unflinching dedication to the service of the Philippine government and the Bangsamoro people, and his impeccable record in defense of human rights is exactly what the COMELEC needs at this crucial point in our country's political history.

PCID (www.pcid.org.ph) is a non-partisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to the study of Islamic and democratic political thought and the search for a peaceful solution to the conflicts affecting the Muslim communities of Mindanao.

It is the belief of the Council that genuine peace and development in Muslim Mindanao can only take place within the context of meaningful democracy. Ms. Amina Rasul-Bernardo is the Lead Convenor of PCID.

Indeed, the Council looks forward to his appointment to the COMELEC. (PRESS/PHOTO RELEASE)