PHILIPPINES MUST REMAIN UNITED, UNDIVIDED – DILG

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) bucked some calls for the separation of Mindanao as it would bring no good for the Philippines and will degrade the territorial integrity of the country.

DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said that “the Philippines must remain united and undivided” to ensure a long-lasting and continued peace, progress and development in Mindanao.

“Secession is not the answer to Mindanao’s concerns,” Abalos said.

“It would violate the fundamental tenets of our Constitution. It would destroy the territorial integrity of the Philippines, and disrupt decades of painstaking effort to build a stronger union among all our peoples and ethnicities,” he added.

Abalos said the people’s right to self-determination, which means pursuing political, economic, social, and cultural development while respecting the state’s territorial integrity and legal processes should be exercised within the framework of the State.

“Indeed, the peoples of Mindanao have the freedom to make political choices or pursue economic, social, and cultural progress. Various mechanisms make manifest the government’s respect and recognition for the development needs of Mindanao, such as the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM),” he said.

“The BARMM is a powerful example of addressing historical grievances and providing self-governance within the bounds of Philippine law,” he added.

The DILG Secretary urged all stakeholders to uphold the sanctity of the Philippine Constitution for a strong, united, and undivided nation.