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Secession would actually hold Mindanao back: NEDA official

“More than the economic cost, it is actually the social cost,” NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said.


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Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/ferdinand-marcos-jr-10272022.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (center) leads the groundbreaking ceremony of the Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) bridge project on Oct. 27, 2022. Office of the Press Secretary/handout</div>MANILA — Mindanawons are likely to suffer social costs if calls for the secession of the country&#x27;s second-largest island prosper, an official from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said on Saturday.Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez have floated the idea of Mindanao independence, banking on historical resentment for unequal development in the southern Philippines.Mindanao has been relying on the national government for monetary and technical assistance to “further improve the well-being” of individuals and entities in parts of its 6 regions, said NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon.“More than the economic cost, it is actually the social cost,” she said in a press conference in Quezon City.“Yung mga taga-Mindanao din, parang talking about cost of doing business, madadagdagan yung cost of doing business nila,” she said.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/2024/2/8/marcos-call-for-a-separate-mindanao-doomed-to-fail-1927" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marcos: Call for a separate Mindanao &#x27;doomed to fail&#x27;</a></div>“We dont want a situation na kapag pupunta tayo sa Mindanao, we need a visa or a passport,” she added, noting that many Mindanawons working in Luzon and the Visayas have relatives in Mindanao.Mindanao contributes 16 percent to the Philippines’ gross domestic product, and over 30 percent in the agricultural sector, the socioeconomic planning official said.<div>&#x27;YEARS OF NEGLECT&#x27; </div>While Mindanao is an “agricultural basket,” it still needs to “catch up” in terms of welfare and development after years of neglect, Edillon said, noting that some of the poorest areas in the country are situated in Mindanao.“They’ve also been reaching out to us para sa development planning. Nandoon yung willingness nila to learn, acceptance na kailangan pa nila matuto,” she said.“Nandoon din yung recognition nila na, ‘Ito din yung kailangan namin para tumaas ang well-being,’” she said.The Local Government Code has devolved many of the functions of the national government to local government units.Like the rest of the Philippines, Mindanao has representation at the House of Representatives.The House also has a Committee on Mindanao Affairs that has jurisdiction on matters &quot;relating to the development of Mindanao including policies, programs and measures intended to address problems and constraints hampering such development.&quot;<div>&#x27;WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC RATIONALE&#x27; </div>Calls for the secession of Mindanao from the rest of the country surfaced earlier this year after Duterte claimed that there was a clamor for it.Alvarez said that Mindanao — where indigenous communities have been marginalized after decades of migration from Luzon and the Visayas — should practice self-determination to &quot;chart their own destiny.&quot;<div><a href="https://news-web.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/9/duterte-ally-defends-mindanao-independence-push-after-marcos-objection-1149" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Duterte ally defends Mindanao &#x27;independence&#x27; push after Marcos objection</a></div>Edillon echoed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s earlier statement that the push to make Mindanao a separate country is “doomed to fail.”“You need popular support. What is the economic rationale for this?” the NEDA official said.Splitting from the Philippines will make it harder for Mindanao to encourage the entry of more investments to speed up development, she said.“For those wanting to put up a business, whether foreigner or local, pag nag-put up ka ng business it’s always looking towards the future, but you still dont know what the rules will be so medyo wait and see ka muna,” she explained.Cagayan De Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, in a statement on Saturday, called the secession campaign counterproductive and called on Duterte and Alvarez to let the matter go.&quot;It scares away investors. Most of our island — the Davao provinces in particular, the bailiwick of [Duterte] — is now economically progressive and peaceful, including the [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao],&quot; he said.Rodriguez said, though, that the region needs a bigger share of the national budget than the 16 percent that it gets.&quot;Affirmative action is needed for Mindanao&#x27;s development,&quot; he said.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/5/dnd-doj-warn-against-further-moves-for-mindanao-secession-1621" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DND, DOJ warn against further moves for Mindanao secession</a></div><div>GOVERNMENT PROJECTS IN MINDANAO </div>In 2023, then-Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said that Mindanao is “uniquely positioned to power the country’s economic progress and lead our transformation journey in the years ahead,” underscoring that the national government has been “working closely with international development partners to secure financing” for the area’s development.Of the Philippines’ nearly 200 high-impact infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) in the pipeline, 76 are located in Mindanao with a total cost of P2.4 trillion, data from the Department of Finance showed.Some of these projects are meant to improve the transportation, infrastructure and tourism in Mindanao, which covers 6 out of the Philippines’ 17 regions.

“More than the economic cost, it is actually the social cost,” NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said.

“More than the economic cost, it is actually the social cost,” NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said.