MARAWI CITY – Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. has confessed that he was more worried by double registrants and flying voters in his province than by private armies.

Adiong, a Lakas-Kampi-CMD stalwart, said a padded voters’ roll was more likely to undermine the electoral process because double registrants could vote as many times as they desire to favor certain candidates.

He said there are about 500,000 registered voters in Lanao del Sur nowadays when the number should only be between 300,000 and 350,000.

Adiong’s revelations surprised participants of the local candidates’ covenant signing rites and the hearing of the Zenarosa Commission on the campaign to disband private armed groups here last Feb. 23 and 24, respectively.

He said padding might be a result of one person having multiple registrations, non-residents brought into the province to register as voter or even multiple voter and minors registered as voters, using assumed names.

It was also likely, he said, that the local voters’ lists also contain the names of dead people.

Adiong warned that by being able to cast votes in the province, “nonqualified voters could subvert the will of the real electorate.”

He expressed dismay that as early as 2007, he had asked the Commission on Elections to clean up its voters’ list, but his plea went unheeded.

As to the presence of private armies in his province, Adiong said politicians engaged in feuds might have thought they needed more bodyguards that are, however, unlikely to qualify to be called private armies.

“Armed men who are usually seen, especially with politicians, could be there due to some people’s need to protect themselves from retaliatory attacks as a result of feuds,” he said.

But Abdullah Dalidig, chair of the Islamic Movement for Electoral Reform and Good Government, said armed bodyguards could also derail credible polls.

“They may not have been originally intended for elections but they can be used to further the machinations of politicians wanting to gain votes,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gov. Adiong has expressed dismay that out of five gubernatorial bets in his province, he was alone to have signed the covenant for peaceful, orderly and credible elections.