DAVAO CITY - Philippine Church leaders have joined government agencies and civil society groups in disapproving of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s call for separating Mindanao from the rest of the country in Southeast Asia.
The 78-year-old threatened to separate his native Mindanao from the rest of the nation as his alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. disintegrated in the past weeks after disagreements over amending the 1987 constitution. Marcos said it was meant to ease foreign investments while Duterte accused him of attempting to stay in power.
“We firmly believe that the Philippines is one nation, indivisible, and Mindanao is an integral part of our national identity and heritage,” said Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, national director of Caritas Philippines, the social arm of the nation’s Catholic bishops’ body.
Bagaforo conceded the challenges faced by the southern island, where a majority of Muslims live, but stressed that solutions lie in collaborative efforts and addressing root causes of conflict, not in division. “We urge the government and all stakeholders to work together to address issues of poverty, inequality and marginalization, comprehensively and inclusively,” he said.
In a recent statement, Caritas Philippines also said the Catholic-majority nation “needs leaders who promote unity and healing, not division and discord.”
The statement warned of the harmful consequences of divisive rhetoric, especially from those who held positions of power. It can potentially reignite old conflicts and hinder progress made towards national unity and healing, it said.
“We believe that true statesmanship lies in responsible and constructive engagement, not in inflammatory pronouncements,” it added.
Duterte was the first president who hailed from Mindanao. His term ended on June 30, 2022.
“Former presidents have a crucial role to play in fostering national unity and providing guidance through their experience. This role demands thoughtful reflection, measured words, and actions that prioritize the common good,” Caritas Philippines said.
Redemptorist priest Amado Picardal said Duterte’s latest tirade “sounds to me like a crazy idea of a desperate powerless ex-president.”
The Duterte critic said it could be an attempt to evade the impending arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the probe into the “bloody war on drugs.”
“It (separation demand) doesn't have the support of Mindanaoans like me. It doesn't deserve anyone's serious attention,” Picardal told UCA News.
Lawyer Aaron Pedrosa from the progressive group, Sanlakas, viewed the former president’s rhetoric as an attempt “to rally support from Mindanao, his perceived bailiwick.”
“This latest episode in the continuing intramurals between Marcos and Duterte camps is telling of a brewing political crisis, with the latter showing no qualms about resorting to force,” he told UCA News.
He warned against siding with either of the political factions. “They have nothing but their political interests with Marcos flirting with Charter change and Duterte trying to save his skin from ICC prosecution,” Pedrosa said.
The justice department said on Feb. 5: “Secession is regarded as contrary to the principles of our democratic society, as stated in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. The Department of Justice remains committed to protecting our sovereignty and upholding the sanctity of the highest law of the land.”
“Any attempt to secede any part of the Philippines will be met by the government with resolute force," added National Security Adviser Eduardo Año in a separate statement.
BARMM governors
Governors in the Muslim autonomous region have flatly rejected the seditious proposal by former president Rodrigo Duterte to dismember the southern region of Mindanao from the rest of the country.
Governors Yshmael I. Sali of Tawi-Tawi, Hadjiman S. Hataman-Salliman of Basilan, Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur, and Abdulraof A. Macacua of Lanao del Norte, and Mariam S. Mangudadatu released separate statements opposing the secession of Mindanao.
“The Bangsamoro people are resolved not to regress, but to forge ahead together as one indomitable force, celebrating their Bangsamoro identity as an integral part of the Philippine Republic,” the governors said as they expressed their gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for his unyielding dedication to realizing lasting peace and prosperity in the Bangsamoro Region.
“His consistent and substantial policy statements and programs have installed a sense of stability since assuming office,” they added, and called on their constituents to stand united as the governors affirmed that the relentless execution of the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front serves as a dynamic force, yielding substantial and profound outcomes of peace that resonate powerfully across the entire region.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan also led municipal mayors in the province in the signing of a “manifesto of support” to keep and maintain the integrity and dignity of a united Philippines.”
Tan rallied all his mayors and constituents to support the government's stand against Duterte's call to separate Mindanao from the archipelago of over 7,600 islands. Tan led their signing of the manifesto along with members of the League of Municipal Mayors of Sulu in "support of a United and Inseparable Republic of the Philippines.”
The declaration affirms their support for the Marcos administration and “will stand solidly behind any peaceful means to maintain the dignity, integrity and inseparability of the Republic.” The officials stated that Sulu and Mindanao had been subjected to and embroiled in violence and uncertainties for half a century due to the spread and influence of misplaced ideology(ies).
The manifesto stated that "never again should the people in the region be forced to relive the dark days of their lives, especially now that their investments in peace and security are paying dividends in the form and shape of development and progress."
Sulu is one of six provinces under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to reject Duterte's seditious call to separate Mindanao amid calls by lawmakers to investigate public funding worth over P51 billion received by his son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte; and the hundreds of millions of pesos more allocated to the local government of Davao City in previous years. (Ronald Reyes, UCAN and Mindanao Examiner)
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