UBJP candidate gains ground on BARMM Deputy Speaker in Lanao del Sur 4th District race

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Lampa Pandi, United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) candidate and ex-mayor of Poona Bayabao town in Lanao del Sur, is one step closer to winning the electoral race in his province’s 4th District. Pandi has received 38,505 votes so far, according to 98.60% of total election returns as of Tuesday, September 15, 1:59 pm, a day after the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls. He is on the verge of defeating Bangsamoro Parliament Deputy Speaker Amenodin Sumagayan, whose family holds power in the municipality of Taraka. Running as the candidate of the Serbisyong Inklusibo-Alyansang Progresibo Party, Sumagayan — a former mayor of Taraka — obtained 37,324 votes. The bottom two candidates in the race are engineer Camal Abdul, the bet of the Progresibong Bangsamoro Party, and independent candidate Johari Comadug. According to Pandi’s Facebook page, he was Poona Bayabao mayor from 2007 to 2016. He previously served as assistant and officer-in-charge regional health secretary of BARMM’s predecessor, the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. – Rappler.com