'One Philippines': NSC, Mindanao governments reject secession calls

MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) and governors from Mindanao have strongly rejected calls for the region's secession from the Philippines, emphasizing the threat it poses to progress made in peace and development.

In a statement Sunday, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said that any attempt to sow division in the country must be rejected unequivocally after former President Rodrigo Duterte pushed for a “separate and independent Mindanao.”

He warned that the national government “will not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell and stop any and all attempts to dismember the Republic.”

“Any attempt to secede any part of the Philippines will be met by the government with resolute force, as it remains steadfast in securing the sovereignty and integrity of the national territory,” said Año, who served as an interior secretary and an Armed Forces of the Philippines chief under Duterte. 

The national security adviser also said that calls to separate Mindanao from the rest of the country does not only run counter to the Constitution, “but also threatens to undo the hard-won gains of peace and development, particularly in Mindanao.”

Año stressed that the comprehensive peace process, which has brought an end to armed conflict in Mindanao, must instead be protected and strengthened. 

Similarly, Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier urged Filipinos to reject any movement calling for an independent Mindanao. Like Año, Galvez was also an AFP chief of staff during Duterte’s presidency. 

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim called on the public to protect the gains of the peace process. 

“Let us continue to support the current administration and allow peace and civility to reign over the affairs of our land,” he said.   

‘United Philippines’

The governors of Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao del Sur also joined other leaders from Mindanao in rejecting secession calls. 

“Mindanao’s concerns should be resolved without pursuing secession… It would disrupt the interconnected productivity of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that has long sustained our national stability,” Sultan Kudarat Gov. Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu said. 

“Preserving peace, heritage, and progress in Mindanao compels the Philippines to remain united,” he added. 

For her part, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Mangudadatu pointed out that secession will not address the concerns of residents of Mindanao. 

“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,” Mangudadatu said. 

“We are for one and united Philippines,” she added.