Rody on secession: ‘We’re doing it legally’
Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday clarified that his proposal to separate Mindanao from the rest of the Philippines “is a legal process that could be brought before the United Nations,” citing the secession of Timor-Leste and Kosovo in Serbia.
“That’s my priority. I’m not focusing on a quarrel,” said Duterte in Filipino in an interview with lawyer Salvador Panelo over TV station DZRJ.
Duterte slammed what he called “mediocre reactions” from government authorities and Cabinet officials when he recommended that Mindanao secede from the Philippines.
“They think that if you want to secede, it’s going to be a war. No, we are doing it in a legal way,” he said.
The former president debunked reactions that the proposal was against the Constitution.
“It’s not against the Constitution. It is outside the Constitution. Because if you secede, it is based on the right of free will, of determination by the people,” he noted.
Duterte said there’s no absolute theory of law when separating a place from an entire nation.
“The law must always be viable. When it’s not already good for a country to stay or to be connected with another country — they can always ask if they are allowed to secede but it would be under the auspices of the United Nations,” he said.
Panelo backed Duterte’s explanation, noting that it is one of the principles of self-determination “that can’t get be rid from the people.”
Self-determination
Duterte said there was a need for the people to understand the fundamentals of self-determination before commenting on the issue of Mindanao’s secession.
“That’s what they don’t understand. They should not forget that there’s such a thing as secession for peaceful means,” he said.
Duterte pointed out his proposal came out of frustration about current happenings in the country, including the political bickering over the issue of Charter change.
“Let me be clear to everybody: I am not for the ouster of Marcos. Marcos was elected for a specific period here in the Philippines,” he said.
He, however, said there’s a need to recognize the people’s free will.
On the other hand, he maintained that the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction to conduct a prosecution within the Philippines.
Panelo, for his part, said only Philippine forces could serve a warrant of arrest to be issued by the Hague-based ICC.
Meanwhile, President Marcos dismissed calls for a separate Mindanao, labeling it a “doomed” proposition based on pretenses and a violation of the Philippine Constitution.
The President’s statement on Thursday came amid renewed calls for Mindanao, the Philippines’ southernmost island group, to secede from the nation. These calls, primarily driven by former President Duterte, have been met with widespread criticism and concerns about potential destabilization.
“The new call for a separate Mindanao is anchored on a false premise, not to mention a sheer constitutional travesty,” Marcos said during the Constitution Day celebration in Makati City.
The Chief Executive also emphasized the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao leadership’s firm rejection of the proposal.