NATIONAL Security Adviser Eduardo Año yesterday rejected plans to separate Mindanao from the Philippines as he warned that attempts to do so would be dealt with “resolute force.”
“The national government will not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell and stop any and all attempts to dismember the Republic. Any attempt to secede any part of the Philippines will be met by the government with resolute force, as it remains steadfast in securing the sovereignty and integrity of the national security,” Año said in a statement.
“We emphasize that calls for the division of our country only serve to undermine our collective process and prosperity. The strength of our country lies in our unity and any attempt to sow division must be rejected by all sectors unequivocally,” he also said.
He also said the National Security Council “reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding the security, stability, and territorial integrity of the Philippines” and urged Filipinos to be vigilant against attempts to “sow discord and division” of the country.
The proposal to separate Mindanao from the rest of country was made by former President Rodrigo Duterte, Ano’s former boss while serving as the past administration’s secretary of interior and local government from 2018 to 2022.
In a press conference in Davao City on Tuesday night last week, Duterte said local political forces, led by Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, would regroup in Mindanao to start a movement for a separate and independent Mindanao, reportedly as a move against the People’s Initiative (PI) to amend the Constitution and because nothing has supposedly happened to the Philippines even after so many presidents.
Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo and his son, Camiguin Gov. Xavier Jesus Romualdo, said they completely reject the proposal to secede Mindanao from the rest of the Philippines and warned Duterte and Alvarez that “they could be held criminally liable for sedition for their contentious and divisive secession movement.”
“The proposal and subsequent actions by Duterte and Alvarez are seditious insofar as it calls for the separation of Mindanao from the Philippine Republic in violation of the 1987 Constitution,” they said, adding: “The Charter explicitly protects the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Philippines, prohibiting any form of secession or division.”
Duterte has said that the planned secession of Mindanao is neither a form of rebellion nor sedition as there are precedents of such a move in other parts of the world.
MINDANAO GAINS
Año underscored the importance of “national unity, security, and stability,” pointing out that suggestions of separating Mindanao “not only runs counter to the Constitution, but also threatens to undo the hard-won gains of peace and development, particularly in Mindanao.”
He said the comprehensive peace process, which ended the decades of armed conflict in Mindanao, “must be vigorously safeguarded and built upon.”
“The dividends of peace are now clearly evident in the transformation of the entire Mindanao from a region of volatility and violence to one of progress, stability, hope… While recognizing the richness of Mindanao’s natural resources and culture, it is essential to approach discussions about its development and autonomy within the framework of national unity, solidarity, and supremacy of the Constitution,” he said.
Duterte’s plan to separate Mindanao from the rest of the country has earlier been rejected by Mindanaoan senators, with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is from Buikidnon, saying that dividing the country is the “last thing we want” at this time.
Leaders of the different sectors in the Bangsamoro region have also scorned at the proposal, insisting that doing so would ruin the gains of the peace process with the national government.
Members of the 80-seat Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) said they value the peace agreements with the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, while BARMM chief minister Ahod Ebrahim called on Filipinos to protect the gains of the peace process.
Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez also said that Filipinos should remain united.
“But when we, as a people, are divided, there is instability, underdevelopment, and disorder… Let us therefore turn away from any call or movement that aims to destabilize our beloved nation, especially to separate Mindanao from the rest of the country,” Galvez said.
The provincial governments of Maguindanao del Sur and Sultan Kudarat also stood firm for a united Philippines, as they turned down suggestions to separate Mindanao from the Philippines.
HOUSE PROBE
Rep. Romualdo urged the leadership of the House of Representatives to investigate Alvarez for his role in advocating for the separation of Mindanao from the rest of the Philippines.
Should the evidence show his active participation in the plan, Romualdo said the House should initiate expulsion proceedings against the former speaker.
“Lawmakers and ordinary Mindanaoans are gravely concerned over the potential implications of such separatist movements on national unity and stability. The secession proposal has far-reaching effects on the values of sovereignty, unity, and rule of law in the Philippines,” he said.
Romualdo added: “It took many decades and countless lives lost before Mindanao experienced relative peace. Now that it’s on the road to prosperity, it’s frustrating that people like (former president Rodrigo) Duterte and Alvarez are willing to throw all that sacrifice in the name of self-preservation.”
Gov. Romualdo said: “I served three terms in Congress. Two of those terms were during the Duterte presidency. And I served under five speakers, including former Speaker Alvarez. Of the five, Alvarez was the most forceful and powerful. Of course, everyone knows how powerful former President Duterte was during his term. Both are from Mindanao. They should thus answer for their complaints about the state of Mindanao. If things are as bad as they say, why is it that way when you ruled the country for six years? What were you doing when you were at the helm?”
Gov. Romualdo said it is clear that Duterte and Alvarez “are engaging in dangerous antics and stunts to distract and divide the nation for their own interests.”
“Whether it’s his fear of possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court, or to be politically relevant again, or whatever his reason is, the former president is toying with dangerous proposals for selfish interests and self-preservation,” he said. — With Wendell Vigilia
