Mindanaoans will oppose secession – lawmaker

LANAO del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said on Sunday that the people of Mindanao will not support the separation of the region from the country.

“As we have repeatedly emphasized in our press statements, the people of Mindanao have suffered long and hard for the fruits of a peace process that we are only beginning to enjoy,” Adiong told The Manila Times.

He said local leaders in Mindanao have issued statements opposing an independent Mindanao.

“For the 1st district of Lanao del Sur, we are fully committed to the President’s ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ — a unified and stronger Philippines,” he said.

Adiong is a member of the House Committee on Mindanao Affairs, the House Committee on Muslim Affairs, and the House Committee on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have halted their revolutionary movements to help in efforts to build a stronger and more unified Philippines, Adiong said in a statement on Sunday.

He also noted that Mindanao has been fully represented in government.

“The fact that Mindanaoans have held prominent positions in the highest offices of the land is a testament to their integral role within the Philippine nation. To entertain notions of secession undermines the unity and stability that our country has worked so hard to maintain,” he said.

Last Monday, Adiong said that secession would both “unravel the social fabric that binds us and have devastating economic effects on Mindanao.”

“It would also leave the hardwon fruits of the peace process rotting on the vine. Our people have invested blood, sweat and tears in the recognition and correction of historical wrongs. As the first sprouts of a lasting and just peace begin to emerge, we must cultivate them and not cut them at the root,” he said.

No constitutional provision

In a separate statement on Sunday, 1-Rider Party-List Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, a member of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, said there “is no constitutional provision” allowing a unilateral secession of Mindanao.

“If we allow our nation to be divided, it would undermine our solidarity with each other as Filipinos. It would disrupt economic stability and hinder growth opportunities for both Mindanao and the rest of the country,” Gutierrez said.

“We need a united nation, which is crucial for collective progress and development,” he said.

Earlier, Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said that talks on secession will not help Mindanao.

“It is counterproductive. It scares away investors. Most of our island — the Davao provinces in particular — is now economically progressive and peaceful, including the BARMM area,” Rodriguez said, referring to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

He, however, pointed out that “Mindanao still needs a bigger budget under the Marcos administration because, in this year’s (2024) budget, only 16 percent is given to Mindanao, far behind the Luzon regions and Metro Manila. Mindanao has 23 percent of the country’s population, produces 25 percent of the national wealth, and has seven of the Top 10 poorest provinces in the Philippines.”

“[Mindanaoans] should trust and give a chance to President [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr.] to support and develop Mindanao,” Rodriguez said.