President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. has appealed to stop the calls to secede Mindanao from the Philippines, stressing that this proposal "is doomed to fail."

Marcos made the appeal in his speech during the observance of the Philippine Constitution Day 2024 in Makati City on Thursday, February 8.

"The new call for a separate Mindanao is doomed to fail, for it is anchored on a false premise, not to mention a sheer constitutional travesty," he said.

“I strongly appeal to all concerned to stop this call for a separate Mindanao. This is a grave violation of the Constitution. Hindi ito ang Bagong Pilipinas na ating hinuhubog. Bagkus, ito ay pag-wasak mismo sa ating bansang Pilipinas,” Marcos added.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim and four other provincial governors had already turned down the Mindanao independence proposed by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Carlito Galvez Jr., Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro, and National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano were among those government officials who also aired objections against the said plan.

According to the president, Bangsamoro has already "genuine and effective local autonomy" that does not compromise the country's "integrity in the slightest degree."

In a separate speech during the 17th meeting of the national and Bangsamoro governments’ Intergovernmental Relations Body in Pasay City, Marcos asserted that his administration's Bagong Pilipinas is "incomplete without a Bangsamoro rising along within it."

The chief executive bared that new programs have been crafted to pursue true peace and progress in Bangsamoro.

"We cannot allow forces outside the democratic process to deviate our dreams and aspirations from a democratic process. Let us not allow single voter to disfranchise by violence, intimidation, or by bribery," he stressed.