No support

Since former president Duterte's call for the island of Mindanao to secede from the Philippines, I haven’t seen any widespread support for it. In a rally held in Davao City at the end of January, coinciding with the rally of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. In Manila, Duterte lashed out at Marcos. He called him a junkie, an addict, and warned that what happened to his father Ferdinand Marcos Sr. might happen to him. Marcos, on the other hand, shot back saying Duterte’s long-term use of fentanyl is why he talks that way.

I find it amusing the way Duterte said Davao Del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez was the first to suggest that Mindanao should separate from the Philippines. Is he deflecting the blame in case things go south for them? He did tell Alvarez to start gathering signatures from those who support it. I wonder how that is coming along. I don't see widespread support for it yet. What it did was elicit a strong reaction from the government.

Officials have issued warnings any threat to the integrity of the country would be met with force. National Security Adviser Eduardo Año warned that they are ready to use authority and force for any moves to divide the country. The position of the DND and DOJ is the same. Even governors of Mindanao themselves opposed any move or call for the island to secede. So, I don't know where Duterte and Alvarez will get support for their desire to break apart the Philippines.

The issue now is whether Duterte is accountable for his pronouncements. Politicians from Camiguin Province are calling it an act of sedition which is a non-bailable offense. Whether the Marcos administration will act on this remains to be seen. Sedition is any act of "written or oral broadcast throughout the country, of inciting the people to rebel against a proper authority or government."

If Duterte claims the reason for secession is because Mindanao has not shown progress over the years, under any administration, that should include his term as president. He had six years to fix whatever problems Mindanao had, but did he? The Marawi crisis happened under his watch. Has Marawi been given all those promises that were made while he was president? This tirade of Duterte against the current administration may have another agenda in mind. For now, the people will just have to wait for whatever developments arise from the actions of Duterte’s camp. Will he be charged with sedition, or will he just be ignored altogether?