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Sulu's 'no' vote in Bangsamoro plebiscite 'symbolic', but has 'no effect': analyst

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MANILA - Sulu&#x27;s rejection of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is &quot;symbolic&quot; but would have &quot;no effect&quot; as provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) voted as a geographic bloc, an analyst said Wednesday.Some 163,500 voted against the BOL, while 137,630 supported the measure, the certificate of canvass from Sulu showed.&quot;Legally, there is no effect... Even if Sulu voted no, it would still be included because it is already a part of the ARMM,&quot; Benedicto Bacani, executive director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, told ANC&#x27;s News Now.&quot;The &#x27;no&#x27; vote is a symbol of the rejection of the majority of the voters of Sulu that they want out,&quot; he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/23/19/sulu-rejects-bangsamoro-law-certificate-of-canvass">Sulu rejects Bangsamoro law: certificate of canvass</a></li></ul>But another analyst said Sulu&#x27;s &quot;no&quot; vote was &quot;not a rejection of the new autonomy&quot; but a reflection of the influence of the province&#x27;s leaders.&quot;What it does show is that the governor of the province has tremendous influence over his province,&quot; Amina Rasul Bernardo, president of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy, said in a separate interview.&quot;Do you really think that citizens, that the voting population would take the time to read the Bangsamoro Organic Law?&quot; she said, underscoring that &quot;70 percent of voters&quot; in Sulu are considered &quot;illiterate.&quot; &quot;They rely on their political leaders and if political leaders have a campaign that says the Bangsamoro is against the Tausug without saying why, it can be an influence,&quot; she said.Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II was not supportive of the BOL, a measure that would grant the new autonomous region more funding and bigger share from national revenues.Under the law, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country&#x27;s largest Muslim rebel group, would be in charge of running the new Bangsamoro region during a 3-year transition period.&quot;The case of Sulu is not just about resisting the leadership of the MILF because at the end of the day, there is gonna be elections. If the MILF doesn&#x27;t perform, then they will just be out of power,&quot; Bacani said.&quot;It&#x27;s deeper than that. Sulu&#x27;s issue is really identity,&quot; he said.

MANILA - Sulu's rejection of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is "symbolic" but would have "no effect" as provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) voted as a geographic bloc, an analyst said Wednesday.

MANILA - Sulu's rejection of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is "symbolic" but would have "no effect" as provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) voted as a geographic bloc, an analyst said Wednesday.