By Junex Doronio
MANILA — It seems that old friends former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and ex-Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez have buried the hatchet with the emergence of a new movement that seeks for Mindanao to secede from the Philippines.
If Mindanao successfully secedes, it will bar the International Criminal Court (ICC) from arresting the former Chief Executive and his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte for alleged “crimes against humanity” due to the extra-judicial killings (EJKs) in the course of the former chief executive’s bloody anti-illegal drugs campaign.
This possibility loomed as Alvarez on Wednesday revealed plans to match the ongoing initiative with their signature drive for Mindanao’s independence from the Philippines.
“Puwede yun kasi ibang bansa na ‘yan eh. Ibang bansa na, Wala naman kaming ugnayan sa ICC o kung saan pa dahil panibagong bansa yan,” Alvarez stressed.
He blamed Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez for reviving the idea of secession due to the ongoing people’s initiative (PI) supposedly launched by Romualdez and the defunding of projects in Mindanao.
“Ako lang, dito sa distrito ko, ang laki po ng tinanggal na mga infrastructure projects… It seems na wala na talagang pag-asa para maayos itong aming lugar dito sa Mindanao,” Alvarez disclosed.
To recall, Alvarez and the elder Duterte had a falling out when the former was stripped of his post as House Speaker due to the reported maneuver of then-presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
On July 23, 2018, Alvarez was ousted as Speaker and replaced by Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was widely known as Inday Sara’s political mentor.
Seemingly, Alvarez has reconciled with the Dutertes.
“You can set us free and let us chart our destiny,” Alvarez said.
(el Amigo/MNM)
