Sulu rejects Mindanao secession
ZAMBOANGA CITY: The Muslim province of Sulu in southern Philippines has passed a manifesto rejecting former president Rodrigo Duterte’s call to secede the mineral-rich region of Mindanao from the rest of the country.
The manifesto was signed by Gov. Sakur Tan, who rallied his mayors and constituents to support the government’s stand against Duterte’s call to separate Mindanao from the archipelago of over 7,600 islands.
The members of the League of Municipal Mayors of Sulu also signed the manifesto in “support of a United and Inseparable Republic of the Philippines.”
The declaration affirmed their support for the Marcos administration and “will stand solidly behind any peaceful means to maintain the dignity, integrity and inseparability of the Republic.”
The officials stated that Sulu and Mindanao had been subjected to and embroiled in violence and uncertainties for half a century due to the spread and influence of misplaced ideology(ies).
The manifesto stated that “never again should the people in the region be forced to relive the dark days of their lives, especially now that their investments in peace and security are paying dividends in the form and shape of development and progress.”
Sulu is one of six provinces under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region that are expected to reject Duterte’s call to separate Mindanao amid calls by lawmakers to investigate public funding worth over P51 billion allegedly received by his son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, and the hundreds of millions of pesos more allocated to the local government of Davao City in previous years.
Aside from Tan, Governors Yshmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi, Hadjiman Salliman of Basilan, Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur, Abdulraof Macacua of Lanao del Norte and Mariam Mangudadatu of Maguindanao del Sur also released separate statements opposing the secession of Mindanao.
“The Bangsamoro people are resolved not to regress, but to forge ahead together as one indomitable force, celebrating their Bangsamoro identity as an integral part of the Philippine Republic,” the governors said as they expressed their gratitude to Marcos for his unyielding dedication to realizing lasting peace and prosperity in the Muslim region.
“His consistent and substantial policy statements and programs have installed a sense of stability since assuming office,” they added as they called on their constituents to stand united as the governors affirmed that the relentless execution of the peace agreement
between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front serves as a dynamic force, yielding substantial and profound outcomes of peace that resonate powerfully across the entire region.
Mangudadatu said that Mindanao secession will deny the constitutional rights of their people and will compromise the government’s efforts to build a stronger Philippines.
She said that separation of Mindanao is not the answer to the problem in the region.
“Mindanao is a mirror of diversity, progress and preserving peace. Unity leads to peace, development and prosperity. Contrary to instability, underdevelopment and disorder,” said Mangudadatu.
“We affirm that secession is not the answer to Mindanao’s concern. It denies our people the rights embodied by the Constitution, including the destruction of our territorial integrity compromising our efforts to build a stronger nation,” added Mangudadatu.
“In the spirit of peace and unity, we turn down any call or movement that aims to destabilize our government and eventually that would divide our nation, much like the movement that would separate Mindanao with our beloved country the Philippines. We are for one and united Philippines,” she added.
Sultan Kudarat Gov. Pax Ali Mangudadatu also opposed Duterte’s call.
“Mindanao’s concerns should be resolved without pursuing secession,” said Ali Mangudadatu, explaining that the division would infringe the fundamental doctrines of our Constitution.
“It would disrupt the interconnected productivity of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that has long sustained our national economy, and risk fracturing the foundation of our unity and national stability,” he said in a statement.
“In the spirit of unity, let us reaffirm our commitment to the principles of democracy, inclusivity and justice. We must move forward stronger as one undivided nation under a collective objective of stability and progress,” he added.
Mangudadatu also emphasized that preserving peace, heritage and progress in Mindanao compels the Philippines to remain united and undivided, adding that the region emerged as a land of peace, solidarity and progress through a unified approach.
“Thus, it is evident that the course of unity is not merely an option, but an imperative to the persistent harmony that leads Mindanao to this day. Termination of armed conflicts in Mindanao is a milestone of the comprehensive peace process,” he said, adding the termination of armed conflicts in Mindanao symbolizes triumph of dialogue, understanding and reconciliation, which “a divisive perspective only reverses this.”
Ali Mangudadatu asserted that the people of Mindanao hold the freedom to shape their political choices within the confines of the law, which upholds the essence of democratic governance where individual liberties “are not detached from the collective responsibility to respect and abide by the laws of the land.”