Zamboanga rejects ‘Mindanao Republic’

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The city strongly opposed the call for the formation of the so-called "Mindanao Republic" as this will further divide the nation still reeling from mounting calls for the resignation of President Arroyo.

Mayor Celso Lobregat said this is not the right time to discuss the separation of southern Philippines.

"We are declaring that Zamboanga City has always been a part of the Philippines and will be a part of the Philippines no matter which administration is in power," Lobregat said.

He stressed that while they recognize that the present and past administrations have neglected Mindanao in budget appropriations and infrastructure development, the call for independent Mindanao is not the appropriate solution.

He said majority of the people will not join an independent Mindanao even in Davao City where Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has raised the idea, which is also supported by former Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Ruben Canoy.

"I don’t know how serious he (Duterte) is but definitely we are not part of it," Lobregat said.

Duterte, in a television program recently, said they are ready for the Mindanao Republic and even showed a flag of the proposed independent state.

Lobregat also cited that the local government units in Mindanao will suffer more economically as they are very dependent on the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government.

In light of the soft stand taken by the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on the issues hounding the President, Lobregat said Mrs. Arroyo should voluntarily vacate her post to prevent further divisiveness in the country.

"We are appealing to the President to put the country above self and to seriously consider voluntarily vacating the position as this option will be the least painful to the nation," he said in a statement.

The city’s position, which was approved by the majority of the council, reiterated that the solution to the present political crisis should be peaceful, non-violent and follow the constitution and the rule of law.