Duterte secession threat ‘a lot of hot air’ – Carpio

Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY—Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio called former President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to separate Mindanao from the rest of the country “a lot of hot air, with no substance,” saying he would end up alone should he push through with his “absurd” challenge.

Carpio, who was here on Sunday to speak on the people’s initiative to change the constitution, said that not a single active military official or even retirees would support Duterte’s call because it would be tantamount to dismembering the country.

Stiff penalty

“The Constitution says the AFP shall secure the integrity of the national territory. If he [Duterte] secedes, that’s not securing the integrity of the national territory,” he added. “Not a single active officer will join him because that runs against their oath, against their mission, against their reason for existence.”

“Will the retired officers join?” Carpio asked. “Well they have not yet implemented it but there is an executive order, which says that if you work for the dismemberment of the country you will lose your pension as a retired officer, and their pension is quite substantial,” he said.

“As I said, if you call for secession, it’s so outrageous that nobody will follow you, what is that? So, it’s a lot of hot air, no substance,” he said. “Who is he trying to scare? Nobody’s scared by his threat because it’s so absurd.”

READ: More officials oppose Mindanao secession

Although Duterte did not particularly use the term “secede,” he announced that his camp, with Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez at the helm, would “peacefully” work for the separation of Mindanao from the rest of the country, using existing provisions in the United Nations. The former president made the announcement after he accused the Marcos administration and supporters of trying to perpetuate themselves in power by pushing Charter change.

Carpio said that even local governments in Mindanao, which depended on the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for 70 percent of their budget, would not be very supportive. INQ