Solons: Mindanao splitting from PH impossible now, not beneficial

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) is raising heavy rainfall warnings over 14 provinces in Mindanao on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, due to the trough of the low pressure area or LPA. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — While there are varying opinions from lawmakers about Mindanao seceding from the Philippines, several members of the House of Representatives agreed that doing so is not as easy as others would think.

Aside from this, all four Mindanao-based lawmakers who attended a press briefing on Wednesday at the House complex — Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, and Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo — agreed that it would not be beneficial for the Mindanaoans.

“Ang aking sagot ay simple lang: ito’y dapat pinag-aaralan, ito ay hindi dapat — kasi unang-una marami pong proseso ang gagawin dito.  Ang usapan eh pirma lang, when you remove Mindanao from the Republic of the Philippines, that will probably entail a revision of constitution,” Barbers said.

(My answer is simple: we should study it, because there would be a lot of processes that entail this.  We were just talking about signature campaigns, but when you remove Mindanao from the Republic of the Philippines, that will probably entail a revision of the constitution.)

“So ngayon, pirma lang naman tayo, wala namang political provisions at the moment, sa tingin ko the proponents probably have some idea on why they are pushing for this.  Personally my opinion is I don’t want to shoot it down right away, because pag-aralan, tignan natin, if this will redound to more benefits for the people, bakit naman hindi?  But as it is today, sa tingin ko malabo pa,” he added.

(So now it’s just a signature, there’s no political provisions at the moment, I think the proponents probably have some idea on why they are pushing for this.  Personally my opinion is I don’t want to shoot it down right away, because we can study and look at it, if this will redound to more benefits for the people, why not?But as it is today, that’s far-fetched.)

It was former president Rodrigo Duterte who recently floated the idea of Mindanao moving away from the Philippines, as he is not happy with the actions taken by the current administration.

In a briefing streamed by SMNI on its Facebook page, Duterte said that he does not need help from the government regarding the complaints he is facing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) because probers can only access the Philippines — indicating that Mindanao would no longer be part of the country.

“Pati ‘yang ICC, ako I would like to tell this to Mr. Marcos, sir bitawan mo ‘yang ICC, ‘wag mo akong tulungan d’yan.  Ako na ang bahala, kasi ‘pag mag-Mindanao state na, si (Pantaleon) Alvarez naman magtago sa akin dito sa Mindanao.  T*ng *nang ‘yan, oo totoo,” Duterte said.

(Regarding that ICC, I would like to tell this to Mr. Marcos, sir don’t help me with that ICC, I can manage.  Because if it’s already a Mindanao state na, it’s Pantaleon Alvarez who would hide me here in Mindanao.  S*n of a b*t*h that’s true.)

“Dito sa Pilipinas makapasok sila oh eh how about Mindanao republic (In the Philippines they can enter but how about in a Mindanao republic)?” he asked.

But Rodriguez believes the resurfacing of proposals to separate Mindanao from the Philippines is only meant to stoke the fire — asking why Duterte, who was president from 2016 to 2022; and Alvarez, who was speaker for the first two years of the 17th Congress, did not actualize it.

“I am from Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, Republic of the Philippines.  So with the statements of the former president and former speaker of the House, the former president was six years president in our country, there was no call for an independent Mindanao,” Rodriguez said.

“So now, they are not the president anymore or the speaker, and they don’t want to give a chance to President Marcos […] we have to give a chance to the President.  And therefore, any statement about seceding, (going) independent just tries really, you know, stoke the fire,” he added.

Rodriguez, chair of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said that while the people of Mindanao have a lot of grievances about the allocation of budget, it is not enough for the island to separate from the rest of the Philippines.

“It is also true that Mindanao does not also really get a big part of the budget.  But […] presidents have been trying to be able to increase more budget, but not as what we would like this to be done.  So that means that we do not want independence, but we want additional budget for the Land of Promise,” he said.

“Malayo kami eh (we are far), we are far from the centers of power and governance,” he added.  “Let us give a chance to this administration and President Bongbong Marcos who is inclusive, including Mindanao to be able to provide, fulfill the promise of Mindanao,” he added.

Romualdo on the other hand said that if it were to happen, Camiguin would just want to be associated with Visayas.

“Probably it’s another propaganda, they should have done that in the previous administration,” he said.  “So as a Mindanaoan, my province, the lone district of Camiguin, we would not allow that.”

“Because if they would really do that, Camiguin would just return to Visayas,” he added, explaining later on that the province was actually part of Visayas during the Spanish occupation period.

READ: ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ rally turns into pep talk to gov’t workers 

Tensions between the Uniteam — the campaign tandem of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte — appeared to have been turned into a full-blown rift after the Marcos and Duterte camps held separate rallies last Sunday.

Marcos headed the Bagong Pilipinas kickoff rally in Manila while Vice President Duterte attended both the Bagong Pilipinas rally and the one staged by his father, former president Duterte, in Davao City.

READ: Marcos shoots back: Ex-president Duterte takes fentanyl 

In the Davao rally, Duterte’s youngest son and now Davao Mayor Sebastian Duterte urged Marcos to resign from his post if he does not have love and aspiration for the country.

READ: Allies no more? Duterte family expresses open dissent vs BBM 

Former president Duterte also accused Marcos of using cocaine, but the incumbent Chief Executive fired back by saying that Duterte’s statements may have been caused by the effects of using fentanyl, a highly-addictive drug that the former leader admitted to taking for pain medications.