Bishop: Duterte’s Mindanao secession push insane

MANILA, Philippines — The proposal of former president Rodrigo Duterte of having an independent Mindanao is “insane,” according to retired Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo.

In his column posted on the CBCP News on Feb. 17, Quevedo said that the discussion of Mindanao being separated from the rest of the country should not be considered.

“It is my belief that the common good of all Filipinos would be served much better when the nation is preserved as one, with all regions, cultures, religious traditions, social classes, and tribes contributing to the common good, and collaborating in solidarity and unity for the good of the nation,” he said.

The emeritus prelate said, “Past events work against the contention. If the reasons were economic, our former President, who is from Mindanao, could certainly have persuaded Congress to enact the laws necessary to provide development funds.”

“Political officials from Mindanao in the House of Representatives and in the Senate could have collaborated towards this objective. That they did not do so could well mean disinterestedness or lack of prioritization,” he added.

Based on previous reports, economic and political reasons are behind the push for an independent Mindanao.

Quevedo said Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority is also supportive of an undivided national territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“A Bangsamoro territory preserved within the national territory is good for the Bangsamoro. It gets the protection of the national government. It receives assistance in economic, social, and cultural development. It does not stand alone in confronting the challenges of the environment and climate change,” he said.

But, Quevedo added, what is clearly needed from the national government is for the “national government to provide more funds for the economic and social development of Mindanao, especially for the Indigenous Peoples who are the most neglected. It is in Mindanao where poverty and underdevelopment are the worst. It is high time for imperial Manila to consider Mindanao as the central focus of economic development.”

Quevedo, who served as Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president from 1999 to 2003, admitted that the Mindanao bishops have not yet issued a joint statement on the subject matter, but thinks that his fellow prelates in the region share his opinion.