Tuesday, February 06, 2024

Are you in favor of separating Mindanao from the Philippines?

First of all, this is the internal affairs of the Philippines. As a Chinese, we are just a bystander, and the internal affairs of the Philippines are none of our business.

The long-standing conflict of faith between Muslims and Christians in the Philippines is not recent, but long-standing.

In fact, the reason why the issue of Mindanao independence has become a hot topic in the news is mainly because of the huge conflict between Rodrigo Duterte and Bongbong Marcos over amending the constitution. Rodrigo Duterte said that if the constitution is not amended, Duterte will Support Mindanao independence.

However, I think it is much more likely that Donald Trump wants to start a civil war in the United States than Rodrigo Duterte wants to start a civil war in the Philippines.

Trump wanted to take back the presidency that belonged to him, and launched an armed riot when Biden first took office. Now, Trump is resentful of many of Biden's actions. He is using the Texas border wall to win support from red-neck forces in the United States and supports the independence of Texas to challenge the White House authorities. As Texas is supported by the state's National Guard, Trump will launch a military attack against Biden at any time.

The conflict between Duterte and Marcos is the "contradiction among the Filipino people" stage in the Philippines, and it is only a conflict caused by amending the constitution.

Duterte does not have a regular combat force. If Duterte can get any military support, it is the rebels on Mindanao who have been fighting guerrilla warfare for a long time. However, the strength of these troops is very different from that of the Philippine military. Duterte will not armed conflict with the Manila authorities for the time being.


Of course, this is just "the time being" and subsequent developments remain to be seen.

Mindanao is Duterte's stronghold, and the independence movement here has a long history. The island has long had separatist activities, which itself has this foundation.

Late last year, a close ally of Duterte mentioned that if Bongbong Marcos still goes his own way on the South China Sea policy, he will push for an independence referendum in Mindanao to avoid being dragged down by the Marcos government.

Therefore, Duterte’s proposal of independence for Mindanao at this time was not a whim, but a decision made after careful consideration. He also appointed his ally Pantaleon Alvarez as the leader of the independence movement to lead Mindanao on the independent path to Singapore model.

Duterte said that his "independence plan" is not a rebellion or coup, and there will be no bloody incidents. It will follow the procedures set by the United Nations. The so-called compliance with the United Nations level should refer to confirming the will of local people by collecting signatures.

In other words, holding an independence referendum and letting the people decide whether to be independent. 

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