With less than a week to the May 10 local and national elections, Muslim candidates for the Senate, like lawyer Adel Tamano continue to struggle for recognition and acceptance from the nearly 46 million Filipino voters.

Aside from Tamano, who is with the Nacionalista Party (NP), other Senate bets from the Muslim community are peace and gender equality advocate Yasmin Busran Lao of Liberal Party, Safrullah Alonto and Adz Nikabulin, both allied with Bangon Pilipinas Party (BPP), and Shariff Ibrahim Albani, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL).

Tamano and Lao are both from Lanao del Sur; the former a son of the late senator Mamintal Tamano, while the latter also comes from a big clan.

If all the Moro voters, numbering some 1.6 million in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and thousands more outside the ARMM, including in Luzon and the Visayas, they may have a jumpstart, said engineer Kadil A. Kali of Maguindanao.

Kali, who is with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) as chief of staff of Commissioner Datu Aladdin I. Ampatuan, said it is very important that the Muslim voice is again heard in the Senate.

"There are many issues concerning Muslims in the Philippines, such as the search for peace in Mindanao, their relations with the rest of the Filipinos, how they can participate in nation-building, how their energy and collective patriotism can be tapped more productively. These are some of the issues and concerns that a Muslim senator may want to advocate in the Upper Chamber," said Kali.

ARMM is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan and Marawi.

Lao's Facebook page said she "has made public service her life's mission."

She founded the Al-Mujadillah Development Foundation (AMDF) as anchor for advocacy. The United States government awarded Lao the Ninoy Aquino Public Service Award in recognition of her striving for the uplift of the marginalized.

Of course, everybody knows the highly articulate and brainy Tamano, former spokesman of the United Opposition, first Muslim president of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Manila, with Harvard University Masters Law Degree as a scholar, Ateneo de de Manila University and University of the Philippines alumnus.

Tamano transferred to Sen. Manuel Villar's NP.

Muslims can only pray and hope that least one them wins a seat in the Senate.