CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Benito Ranque, convenor of a newly organized movement advocating for the release and return of former President Rodrigo Duterte, has warned that Duterte’s continued detention could accelerate efforts to revive the declaration of Mindanao’s independence, which was archived at the United Nations in 1986 due to a lack of endorsement from member states.

According to Ranque, there is a growing sense of betrayal and abandonment among the people of Mindanao, and some see independence as the only path forward. He said the idea resurfaced during a recent meeting with Mindanao leaders pushing for Duterte’s release and return to his home region.

Duterte has long been an advocate for peaceful autonomy in Mindanao. "Some leaders have proposed reviving the 26 April 1986, declaration of Mindanao’s independence, which remains pending at the UN due to the absence of a sponsoring nation," he said.

The original declaration was spearheaded by the late lawyer Reuben Canoy, who led a convention of 500 delegates from Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, with 5,000 residents attending the proclamation at Southern Technical Institute. Copies of the declaration and a proposed constitution were submitted to the UN, but no independent country endorsed them.

Canoy, in his book Quest for Mindanao Independence, recalled how Muslims from Brooke’s Point, Palawan, and tribal leaders from Bukidnon and Davao expressed their support for an independent Mindanao. On 16 July 1986, the movement formally submitted its petition for federal statehood to the UN Secretariat in New York.

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) also previously sought belligerency status, but the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the UN never received the petition due to the requirement for sponsorship by a recognized nation.

According to Ranque, the movement could be revived if an independent country like China or Russia recognizes Mindanao’s independence, which could then elevate its status to a belligerent entity under international law. He further suggested that an interim Federal government, led by former President Duterte, could be established to formally pursue the petition before the UN.

"The 1986 convention which ratified the Constitution and the declaration of independence will be submitted to a friendly country for recognition and endorsement to the UN,'' he said.

Ranque told the DAILY TRIBUNE that if a country like China or Russia recognizes Mindanao, the UN would have no choice but to acknowledge its belligerency status. He believes that if such recognition is achieved, Mindanao’s independence could become a reality.