MANILA, Philippines — Aspirants for officers-in-charge (OICs) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), particularly the 51 for governor, and 17 for vice governor, will undergo a Got Talent-like screening and interview on September 12 and 14.

The “Got Talent” is a British talent show competition that started in 2007.

Apparently, though, the government has changed the public forums’ schedule from September 12 and 14 to September 13 and 15 as shown in the Web site of the Department of the Interior Local Government (DILG).

Two Manila Bulletin sources that are among the aspirants said the September 12 public screening and interview will be simultaneously held in the cities of Marawi, Cotabato, and Zamboanga.

Seeking anonymity, they said the September 14 event will be staged in Davao City. Journalists will be among the members of the panels in all the forums, they added.

There will be a separate debate among the aspirants for governor and vice governor to be held in Manila to be covered live by government television NBN Channel 4, they related. No date has yet been set, they said.

The two aspirants said they are ready to face the public, government officials, and journalists to answer questions and bring out their plans if they win the nod of the Screening Committee headed by DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, and ultimately President Aquino.

A top official of the ARMM said the Got Talent-like process of public screening and media interview, if it pushes through, will give the search for ARMM reformists an entertainment-like atmosphere.

He said what’s good about it is that it would at least test the mettle of the aspirants.

“Let us see how they fare in the ARMM Got Talent show,” he added.