Southern leaders thumb down secession
More leaders in Mindanao have rejected calls for secession in Mindanao, stressing that the region aspires for progress within the Philippines, Malacañang said on Sunday.
Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Governor Bai Mariam Sangki Mangudadatu and her son Sultan Kudarat Governor Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu jointly declared their opposition to calls for separating Mindanao from the Philippines.
“Mindanao is a mirror of diversity, progress and preserving peace. Unity leads to peace, development and prosperity (...) contrary to instability, underdevelopment and disorder,” the Maguindanao del Sur governor said.
She firmly rejected secession as a solution, saying it would violate the Constitution and hinder efforts to build a stronger nation. She emphasized the need to uphold democracy and the constitutional rights of the people of Mindanao.
The statement was released even as BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim expressed opposition to calls for the separation of Mindanao.
Governors Yshmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi, Hajiman Hatama-Salliman of Basilan, Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur, and Abdulraof Macacua of Maguindanao del Norte also underscored the Bangsamoro people’s determination to move forward unitedly, portraying themselves as an unwavering force.
“Preserving peace, heritage, and progress in Mindanao compels the Philippines to remain united and undivided,” the Sultan Kudarat governor said, echoing his mother’s stance.
Governor Ali Mangudadatu praised the unified approach that has brought peace and progress to the region. “The course of unity is not merely an option but an imperative,” he said.
He also acknowledged the successful termination of armed conflicts through peace processes and warned against a “divisive perspective” that could reverse this progress.
Both governors affirmed the right of Mindanao’s people to make political choices within the legal framework.
Governor Ali Mangudadatu emphasized that “Mindanao’s concerns should be resolved without pursuing secession,” which would violate the Constitution and harm the national economy.
He called for “reaffirming our commitment to the principles of democracy, inclusivity, and justice” and moving forward “stronger as one undivided nation under a collective objective of stability and progress.”
Earlier, the governors of the four provinces in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or BARMM, expressed their pride in affirming the region’s identity as an integral part of the Republic of the Philippines.