Rody-backed move ‘doomed to fail, a constitutional travesty’
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday slammed calls for Mindanao to separate from the country, saying such a move is “doomed to fail.”
During his keynote speech during the commemoration of Constitution Day, Mr. Marcos said the call for Mindanao to secede from the rest of the country was a “constitutional travesty.”
“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,” he said.
“The current leadership of BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) itself has repudiated this preposterous proposal,” he added.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte earlier called for a separate and independent Mindanao republic amid calls to amend the 1987 Constitution.
Duterte assured the breakaway would be peaceful and bloodless as he vowed to follow the processes established by the United Nations.
President Marcos, however, said calls for a separate Mindanao should be stopped, noting it is not part of the “Bagong Pilipinas” he was aiming for the country.
“This is not the New Philippines that we are shaping, but rather it is the destruction of our country, the Philippines,” he said.
“The Constitution calls for a united undivided country. It calls for eternal cohesion. For this reason, unlike in other constitutions there is nothing in ours that allows the breaking up of this union, such as an exit provision,” Mr. Marcos added.
The President said his administration is ready to protect the country from any threats, including external and internal.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Our national territory will not be diminished, even by one square inch. We will continue to defend from any threats, external and internal. We will not allow even an iota of suggestion of its breaking apart,” the President said.
“This is my guarantee not only throughout this term but up to my dying breath,” he added.
Earlier, the President warned against forces outside the democratic processes that might mess up the first Bangsamoro elections in 2025, saying these should not be allowed to “deviate our dreams.”
“The preparations we have made will be tested in May 2025 when we will hold the very first elections for the BARMM parliament,” Marcos said during the 17th meeting of the national government-Bangsamoro government Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) in Pasay City.
“On this, let me be blunt that, perhaps, we must remind ourselves that we are now operating under different rules and that we cannot allow forces outside of the democratic process to deviate our dreams and our aspirations from a democratic process,” Mr. Marcos said.
The President said no voter should be disenfranchised by violence, intimidation, or bribery.
“I urge all of you, and we will be by your side, to make this very historic election, this very historical and important event a success.
Let us show the world that it is peaceful and it is credible,” he said.
“And after the elections, it will be a new chapter for BARMM. I face the future with optimism. What gives me hope is the belief that you have prepared well, you are ripe, and you are ready,” Mr. Marcos added.
The first-ever election in the Bangsamoro region was originally scheduled in May 2022 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
”A stronger BARMM means a stronger Mindanao. A stronger Mindanao means a stronger Philippines bringing us closer to achieving our agendas,” Mr. Marcos said.
Bagong Pilipinas, the President said, would be incomplete without a progressive Bangsamoro region.
Mr. Marcos enumerated the projects being made in BARMM and Mindanao, including international investments such as the Non-Project Grant Aid for the acquisition of $6.8 million worth of Construction Equipment for Road Network Improvement and Disaster Quick Response Operation in BARMM, and the Joint award of Petroleum Service Contracts and Coal Operating Contracts for energy security in the region.
Mr. Marcos said that the IGRB meeting, the sixth under his administration, “reaffirms our shared commitment not just to peace, but peace with progress.”
For her part, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said, “All these efforts are directed at making Mindanao a shining example of peace and development in the Philippines. Thus, we will not leave our future vulnerable to threats that will undermine the developments that we have painstakingly pushed.” Pangandaman added the importance of solidarity.
“We must not forget that democracy requires solidarity. It means that as we strive for a better future for our country, we – a nation united despite religious differences – are all in this together.”
“We subscribe to the profound idea of a Bagong Pilipinas, as envisioned by President Bongbong Marcos, where solidarity transcends partisan divides and mobilizes citizens from all walks of life to engage actively in the pursuit of common goals,” she added.
Mr. Marcos commended the IGRB for activating all seven mechanisms needed to complete its transition in less than two years.
“We are acting with dispatch not because of the deadlines we have set, but because a people, battered by war for years, should not be denied their destiny to live in peace,” he added.
He commended IGRB co-chairs Pangandaman and Iqbal for “pursuing our commitments with urgency” in anticipation of the election for BARMM ministers to be held for the first time in May, saying this was fueled by mutual trust between the National Government and BARMM, and inspired by the “shared vision for the Bangsamoro.”