Secession Session

Politics gets crazier as time goes by. There was a time when the President made cursing and crude comments the norm. There was a time when the President called the COMELEC Commissioner to ask about her numbers, and later apologized for it. There was a time when the President was involved in big-time jueteng. One President tops them all by managing to stay in power for 20 years, during which he seemed to have forgotten human rights. Even before that, you should research how the President got involved with Stonehill; and why a “golden arinola” was a national issue. Now, a former President is advocating the secession of a large part of the nation. I thought communist rebels and extremist groups were the ones who call for something like that. Are they in the same league with the President? I thought a president and former president accusing each other of substance abuse was already ridiculous. Now, we have the former leader of the country calling for the division of that same country which he led for some time.

Can someone please tell me why he’s suddenly talking about that? Is it because he believes the incumbent President is supporting moves towards charter change? So, is he now a dedicated defender of the 1987 Constitution? When did this happen? I’ll say this again. Did he not promote change to federalism? Has he not been doing that for a long time? I’m actually wondering why it did not prosper in his term. As a matter of fact, it’s not just his personal stand. It’s the stand of the party which he has been a member of. PDP-Laban has been pushing for federalism, being pushed by PDP founder, former Sen. Nene Pimentel. If he wants federalism, he has to have charter change for that. Then, why does he hate charter change all of a sudden? What is he preserving in the 1987 Constitution? This is out of character. I don’t get it.

He claims that Mindanao would rather be “independent since nothing has happened in the Philippines after so many presidents. Can someone run that by me again? What did he say again? Was he not President of the Republic of the Philippines for six years? , Is he included in the Presidents during whose term, nothing happened to Mindanao? Is this an indirect admission that he did nothing to help and improve Mindanao during his term? How could he have the audacity to make that admission right before the people of Mindanao? Since he brought it up, what has the previous administration done to make things happen in Mindanao? I’m not saying it has not done anything. But if the claim is nothing happened to Mindanao, then, that speaks of the past administration’s accomplishments for the regions of southern Philippines. While he’s all saying this, Davao provinces are being flushed with floods. To what institution do residents turn to plead for help? The national government. They even looked past their own local governments. The child who is planning to move away from his parent’s house is crying for help from Mama, even before he could even start packing.

What would be achieved in all this? Would this sow among Mindanao Filipinos hatred against President Bongbong Marcos, so he turns to supports the Dutertes again? Would this shake the President’s spirits and maybe, some of his administration’s top heads to change their policies and their stands to turn to satisfy the former President and his family? Would this in any way restrain more moves that sideswipes the former first family? I don’t think it would amount anything to that.

I would love to hear how Atty. Harry Roque defends this. Is this a joke? Should the Filipino people be accustomed to rants of secession? Should we take this as normal behavior from a former President? Well, I suppose, no one is taking this as a serious plan.

I remember when a local politician and his camp went lengths and heights to create the province of Nueva Camarines to separate from Camarines Sur. It sang the same tune, saying something like nothing has happened to Partido after all the governors who sat in Capitol. I think it gathered enough support to make its way to Senate. I remember how former Senator Trillanes was puzzled in figuring out what the pressing need was for the new province of Nueva camarines. All the passion for the breakaway province died down as soon as the term of the governor they were opposing that time ended. It was all politics after all. This secession session is something similar to that.

Philippians 2:3:“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,”