The Philippine government is prepared to use “authority and force” against attempts to divide the country after former President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to secede some southern islands from the rest of the archipelago. A security official said there was.
President Duterte is seeking independence from the Philippines for his home island of Mindanao this week, as his alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. crumbles over disagreements over efforts to reform the constitution.
Mr. Marcos said the 1987 constitutional amendment was aimed at easing foreign investment, but accused Mr. Duterte of using it to maintain power.
In a statement, National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano cited recent calls to secede Mindanao and said any attempt at secession “will be met with decisive force” by Duterte. He did not specifically name the president.
“The central government will not hesitate to use its powers and force to suppress and thwart any attempt to dismantle the republic,” Ano said.
Ano said calls for secession could reverse the fruits of a peace agreement between the government and former separatist groups.
Mindanao has been plagued by violence and conflict for decades as the government battles rebels and extremists, hampering investment and plunging many villages into poverty.
The region’s largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government in 2014, withdrawing from the independence struggle in exchange for greater autonomy for the Muslim region known as the Bangsamoro. .
Bangsamoro Prime Minister Ahod Ebrahim said in a statement Friday that the country will continue to abide by the peace agreement. Government peace process adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. called on Filipinos to “turn away from all calls to destabilize the country.”
Philippine Armed Forces Chief Romeo Browner told soldiers on Saturday to “stand together and remain loyal to the Constitution and the chain of command.”
