Phillipine President Ms Gloria Arroyo today urged Filipinos to give Muslim self-rule a chance in a crucial plebiscite, amid strong opposition from Christian areas.
"Let us resolve to forge unity out of our diversity, to make ourselves complete and united despite differences in faith and culture," Ms Arroyo said during a brief visit to the south, where tomorrow's vote will be focused.
Almost five million Filipinos from 15 provinces and four cities in the southern Philippines and the western island of Palawan are eligible to vote in the poll to decide whether these areas should join the four-province Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), set up in 1989.
Voters in the autonomous area will also cast ballots on whether they want an expanded autonomous region.
Officials say an enlarged ARMM territory would give Manila a carrot with which to convince Islamic separatists in the country to sign a peace deal and end 30 years of civil war.
But most of the region's 17.6 million people are wary of joining ARMM, a political entity populated by 2.2 million people who live in the poorest region in the Philippines.
Officials in the mainly Christian provinces are campaigning for a "no" vote, which is widely expected, and Muslim separatists are calling for a boycott.
"We do not want to experience the hardship of our Muslim brothers in the ARMM," said North Cotabato provincial governor Mr Emmanuel Pinol.
AFP