Marcos: Calls for separate Mindanao ‘doomed to fail’
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said that calls for a separate Mindanao are “doomed to fail” and urged all of its proponents to stop their attempts.
Marcos’ predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, called for an independent Mindanao in January.
Addressing lawmakers on Constitution Day ceremonies in the Makati Shangri-La, Marcos said that they are meant to protect the Constitution.
“The new call for a separate Mindanao is doomed to fail, for it is anchored on a false premise, not to mention a sheer constitutional travesty. The current leadership of BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao) itself has repudiated this preposterous proposal. And so did other political leaders of Mindanao,” said Marcos in his speech.
“I strongly appeal to all concerned to stop this call for a separate Mindanao. This is a grave violation of the Constitution,” warned the President.
According to Marcos, such efforts will ruin the Philippines.
“Hindi ito ang Bagong Pilipinas na ating hinuhubog. Bagkus, ito ay pagwasak mismo sa ating bansang Pilipinas,” said the Chief Executive.
(This is not the New Philippines that we are forming. It is the ruin of our country, the Philippines.)
Marcos made no mention of Duterte by name, as well as his remarks about an independent Mindanao, but alluded only to a predecessor.
“My predecessor has once declared before this august body that the Constitution is our ‘unifying factor’,” said Marcos.
The President also added that the Constitution called for a united Philippines.
“It calls for an eternal cohesion. For this reason, unlike other Constitutions, there is nothing in ours that allows the breaking up of this union, such as an ‘exit provision.’ On the contrary, our Constitution does not recognize a right to rebellion, while our criminal laws punish it,” said Marcos.
Duterte, on the other hand, said that local Mindanao leaders would organize and go through the process of independence as prescribed by the United Nations.
READ: Duterte now wants ‘separate, independent’ Mindanao
“I said it before and will say it again here. Our national territory will not be diminished, even
by an inch. We will continue to defend it against any and all threats, external and internal. We will not allow even an iota of a suggestion of its breaking apart,” said Marcos.
