By Noel Punzalan, PNA

COTABATO CITY -- Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, along with another group leader, on Wednesday registered with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as legitimate voter for the first time in Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

Ebrahim's real name was not immediately made available.

Sammy Almanzor, also known as Sammy Gambar, MILF’s vice chair for military affairs, also registered a day earlier. His real identity is Abdulrauf Abdul Macacua.

“I feel very happy now that I could now participate in the country’s political exercises, particularly in the Bangsamoro plebiscite early next year,” Macacua said.

On Tuesday, the Comelec kicked off in this city and 15 other venues in Mindanao a three–day (Sept. 11-13) special satellite registration in connection with the conduct of a plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) slated in January next year.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told the Philippine News Agency Wednesday that the special voters’ list up was going on smoothly.

“So far, so good,” he said as the special registration entered its second day.

“For Cotabato City, we have registered almost 400 new voters on Tuesday and we are expecting to add to the list some 500 more today (Wednesday),” said Jimenez, who helps oversee the conduct of the list up here.

In Camp Darapanan, a minor problem on shortage of application forms cropped up Tuesday but was immediately addressed.

BOL provides for the establishment of an expanded political entity known as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), replacing the decades-old ARMM set up.

Being proposed for inclusion in the BARMM are all the areas under the current ARMM – the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, and provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, and Lanao del Sur, and 39 barangays in North Cotabato, six municipalities in Lanao del Norte, and the cities of Cotabato, and Isabela in Basilan.