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DND, DOJ warn against further moves for Mindanao secession

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:888px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/02052024 Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr-11653739.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. gestures as he inspects a proposed logistics facility and training grounds at a military base in the town of Gamu, Isabela province, Philippines, 15 August 2023. <strong id="isPasted"><em>EPA-EFE/FRANCIS R. MALASIG</em></strong></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Government agencies, including the departments of defense and of justice, have issued warnings against moves that threaten the &quot;territorial integrity&quot; of the Philippines.</p><p>Although the agencies did not name anyone, the warnings were issued after former President Rodrigo Duterte revived the campaign for Mindanao independence, which Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez said he is gathering signatures for.</p><p>&quot;The mandate of the Department of National Defense is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of our national territory as enshrined in the Constitution,&quot; Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said.</p><p>&quot;We will strictly enforce this mandate whether externally or internally.&quot; </p><div><strong>SECESSION CONTRARY TO DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY</strong></div><p>In a separate statement, the Department of Justice said it is &quot;vehemently opposed&quot; to calls for secession &quot;of Mindanao or other parts of the country.&quot;</p><p>It said secession is contrary to the principles of a democratic society as stated in the Constitution and called on Filipinos &quot;to reject secessionist ideologies.&quot;</p><p>The Philippine National Police is already looking into the matter, Police Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yun ang tinitignan natin those who are talking about such interest of separating yun ang mino-monitor natin,&quot; he said.</p><p>The PNP chief said he is confident that the national police will oppose moves to separate Mindanao from the Republic of the Philippines.</p><p>&quot;These are all defined through our Constitution, yung territory natin, sovereignty natin. It&#x27;s not good na after all the sacrifices of our heroes and other kababayans and now that we are enjoying peace (that this comes up,&quot; Acorda said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/3/duterte-flexing-influence-with-mindanao-secession-talk-polsci-prof-1114" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Duterte flexing influence with Mindanao secession talk: PolSci prof</a></div><p>The Department of the Interior and Local Government last week already warned against secessionist moves, saying these would &quot;disrupt decades of painstaking effort to build a stronger union among all our peoples and ethnicities.&quot;</p><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="2947443"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div><div><strong>&#x27;RESOLUTE FORCE&#x27;</strong></div><p>National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said over the weekend that attempts to break up the Philippines would be met with &quot;resolute force&quot; from the government. </p><p>&quot;The National Government will not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell and stop any and all attempts to dismember the Republic,&quot; Año, who was interior secretary under Duterte, said.</p><p>Año — also a co-vice-chairperson of the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict — added that the government remained &quot;steadfast&quot; in securing the sovereignty and integrity of the nation&#x27;s territory.</p><p>The former Armed Forces chief stressed that talk about secession could reverse &quot;hard-won&quot; victories in terms of peace in the volatile Mindanao region.</p><p>He said that the government&#x27;s peace agreement with secessionist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which took years of negotiations, &quot;must be vigorously safeguarded and built upon.&quot;</p><p>&quot;We emphasize that calls for the division of our country only serve to undermine our collective process and prosperity. The strength of our country lies in our unity and any attempt to sow division must be rejected by all sectors unequivocally,&quot; he said.</p><p>Last week, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) called Duterte&#x27;s push &quot;anathema to the letter and spirit of the Constitution.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Let us turn away from any call or movement that aims to destabilize our beloved nation, especially to separate Mindanao from the rest of the country,&quot; said Galvez. </p><p>None of the statements mentioned Duterte by name.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/2/peace-adviser-calls-out-duterte-push-to-separate-mindanao-1253">Peace adviser calls out Duterte push to separate Mindanao from PH</a></div><div><strong>&#x27;UNITED COUNTRY&#x27;</strong></div><p>The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has also rejected the call for secession, saying in a release shared by the Palace on Monday that it supports the government &quot;on its call for a united country.&quot;</p><p>Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, LCP president, said: &quot;We cannot overemphasize the importance of working together, of moving as one, propelled by our genuine concern for the plight of our fellow Filipinos.&quot;</p><p>He said: &quot;Now, more than ever, we should be guided by compassion and sensitivity to attain progress together.&quot; </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/1/bangsamoro-government-rejects-duterte-s-mindanao-republic-proposal-331">Bangsamoro government rejects Duterte&#x27;s &#x27;Mindanao republic&#x27; proposal</a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/1/31/legal-experts-reject-duterte-s-call-for-secession-of-mindanao-043">Legal experts reject Duterte&#x27;s call for secession of Mindanao</a></div><div><strong>— Rowegie Abanto with reports from Jauhn Villaruel, Adrian Ayalin, and Raya Capulong, ABS-CBN News</strong></div>