Former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday raised the idea of separating Mindanao from the Philippines through a process of gathering signatures similar to the current heated discussion over the People's Initiative for Charter-change (Cha-cha).
During a press conference in Davao City, Duterte, who served as mayor of Davao City for years, bared that it was Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez who first pushed for the "desirability of Mindanao seceding from the Republic of the Philippines."
"There's a process, I think, before the UN [United Nations] wherein you would gather signatures from all sorts of Mindanao verified under oath in the presence of so many people [to] decide that we want a separate," he said.
"Kaya ko siya inilagay, so that we can pursue. By this time you would know the wherewithal. Hindi naman rebellion, hindi 'yan sedition...," he continued.
The former president expressed his desire to secede Mindanao from the rest of the country, saying that he have lost hope.
"Nagsawa na ako sa kwan. Ilang presidente na kasi e... Walang nangyari sa Pilipinas," he noted. Kaya kung ganu'n lang naman kayo diyan sa Luzon, sa Visayas, bahala kayo."
Duterte has repeatedly criticized the signature campaign for a people's initiative to change the 1987 Constitution.
In a speech on Sunday, he lso threw allegations to President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos over the latter's alleged use of drugs.
Senators react
In a chance interview with reporters, his fellow Mindanaoans Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel both distanced themselves on the plans of Duterte.
“With due respect to former president, I think right now the last thing that we want is magkagulo-gulo, magkawatak-watak ang ating bansa. Ang akin dyan ay slow down natin ang away ngayon dahil ang importante ay kapakanan ng bayan," Zubiri said.
“I think all these fighting between the different groups is not going to be good to our country, not going to be good for our children, our children’s children,” he continued.
Pimentel, for his part, said the plan needs more study but noted that he is "against any suggestion of secession or separation of part of the Philippine territory."
Senator Francis Escudero, meanwhile, said Duterte's plan to secede Mindanao from the rest of the country might "not be Constitutionally possible."
While Senator Imee Marcos acknowledged Duterte’s dissatisfaction about what is happening in Mindanao, she said there’s no need to divide the country.
"Yung sentimyentong yan, popular sa Mindanao. Pero sana, sana, ipinagdadasal ko na hindi naman mangyari. Ayaw naman natin na mawatak-watak ang Pilipinas," she said.
