Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. (File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not order anyone to come up with statements rejecting a separate Mindanao, according to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos on Tuesday.
Following former President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for a separate Mindanao, government leaders on both the national and local levels released separate statements rejecting any secessionist movements.
Asked in a Palace briefing if Marcos ordered such statements, Abalos gave a resolute no.
“No, no. Definitely, there was no order. Whoever wanted to release a statement, they could go ahead. That’s how it was. So those who released such statements just sympathized with what is happening now,” Abalos said in Filipino.
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Abalos himself released a statement reiterating the importance of a united Philippines.
“To ensure continued peace, progress, and development in Mindanao, the Philippines must remain united and undivided. Secession is not the answer to Mindanao’s concerns. It would violate the fundamental tenets of our Constitution,” Abalos said in a previous statement.
Duterte and Marcos had a heated word war in January when the former president accused his successor of using drugs. Marcos fired back, saying that Duterte’s drug accusation could be due to the latter’s use of fentanyl.
The former president’s tirade against Marcos worsened when he called for a separate Mindanao.