By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Describing the Philippines as a “sinking ship”, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez has blatantly contradicted President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for saying the movement was doomed to fail.
The Davao lawmaker who has buried the hatchet with former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte claimed on Friday (February 9) that they were mobilizing a “peaceful and orderly advocacy campaign” for Mindanao’s “independence”.
“What we intend to do is resort to reason and tap the peaceful and common aspirations of the Mindanaoan people. Legitimate and lawful exercise yan ng aming constitutional rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and organization,” Alvarez said.
He stood pat that their “movement” was contrary to claims that what they were doing was “seditious.”
On Thursday (February 8), the President openly rejected the calls for a separate Mindanao and urged its proponents to stop.
“The new call for a separate Mindanao is doomed to fail for it is anchored on a false premise, not to mention a sheer constitutional travesty… I strongly appeal to all concerned to stop this call for a separate Mindanao,” Marcos Jr. said.
(el Amigo/MNM)
