FOLLOWING Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s suggestion for Mindanao to secede from the rest of the Philippines, his former presidential legal counsel clarified that it was not even a call but rather a mere articulation of an idea.
“We will crush any attempt. Excuse me, you are going to crush a rebellion or a sedition. You do not crush an idea.”
“They panicked too much. Digong (former President Duterte) just tickled them, they’re already scared. They should have just ignored it. Not that kind of overreaction,” Atty. Salvador ‘Sal’ Panelo, Former Presidential Legal Counsel stated.
Atty. Salvador Panelo once again defended Former President Duterte on his statement regarding the Mindanao secession.
Despite politicians’ reactions which according to Atty. Panelo were just overreactions, the former presidential legal counsel stressed that it is not against the constitution and that every person has the freedom to create his or her own ideas and suggestions as part of one’s freedom of expression.
In fact, international law even allows for a secession of a country’s state. Take for example the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, Kosovo From Serbia, and East Timor or Timor-Leste from Indonesia, all of which were born from an idea.
Atty. Panelo added that the self-determination of a group of people cannot be stopped, especially when concerning the idea of a Mindanao secession because the Filipino people already know that Mindanao has been left behind over a long period of time in terms of development in the country.
“This travesty of the Constitution that is being said.”
“You are just expressing your feelings. And he also mentioned something as if to say that it is a rebellion and a violation [of the Constitution]. First of all, that cannot be a rebellion because a rebellion is an uprising against the government. That is not the case. Definitely not. Neither can this be a sedition unlike what the Romualdos from Camiguin and others are saying. Because it would be a public uprising tumultuously.”
“In fact, if you notice [former] President Duterte’s speech, [the idea] is already at the tail of it. It’s as if he’s saying it to get out of his pit,” Panelo added.
In fact, Former President Duterte didn’t at all claim that it would be a forced, or armed secession and even went at length to note the difficult legal process required for Mindanao to secede.
“I think before [submitting it to the] UN [sic] where you would gather their signatures from all sorts in Mindanao, sign, verified, under oath in the presence of so many people, we sign that we want to separate. There is such a thing as a body that would hear your petition to secede, and explain that. They should conduct a survey, a plebiscite, [to see] if it will win,” said Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, Republic of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, there are also benefits in the event that a Republic of Mindanao will be pushed through separate from Luzon and Visayas.
“Can you imagine if for example there is a Republic of Mindanao, then follows Republic of Luzon, Republic of Visayas? Imagine? If we’re a member of the United Nations, just in votes, [others] will already lose. We’re Filipinos.”
“There are plenty… Let us allow an idea to flourish so to speak. Let us look at what’s good about it, the advantages, disadvantages. Don’t be so quick to judge us. You are guillotining [the idea] straightaway,” Panelo said.
