Former House Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez says Mindanao is in a “toxic relationship” with the Philippines and should break up with it. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — A group of retired generals has supported the Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other government agencies’ plan to investigate former Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez following his call for the withdrawal of support from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Association of General and Flag Officers (AGFO) called Alvarez’s remarks during a prayer rally held in Tagum City last April 14, a “glaring attempt, in pursuit of a purely political end, to test the organizational ethos of the country’s armed forces.”
READ: Mindanao secession ‘won’t stand, contradicts constitution,’ solons say
“As a reservist officer, he must have exercised prudence and restraint in expressing his position that deviates from the norms of conduct of an officer and a gentleman and violates certain laws of the land,” AFGO said in a statement on Monday.
READ: Free speech, Alvarez says as DOJ checks if he committed sedition
Mindanao’s independence
Aside from this, Alvarez also called for Mindanao’s independence, backing former President Rodrigo Duterte’s secession talks.
Duterte and his camp, including the lawmaker, have expressed dissatisfaction with the current administration’s actions since January of this year.
According to the former president, local political forces would be regrouping within the region to start a movement for a separate and independent Mindanao. He added that the separation wouldn’t be bloody and would follow processes established by the United Nations.
Alvarez, who is spearheading the breakaway movement, said that Mindanao is in a “toxic relationship” with the Philippines and should break up with it. He also pointed out that the country is now a “sinking ship” due to a lack of reforms and budgetary woes.