News Roundup 04 February 2024
Feb 04, 2024 • 4 min Read
‘One Philippines’: NSC, Mindanao governments reject secession calls | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) and governors from Mindanao have strongly rejected calls for the region’s secession from the Philippines, emphasizing the threat it poses to progress made in peace and development.
In a statement Sunday, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said that any attempt to sow division in the country must be rejected unequivocally after former President Rodrigo Duterte pushed for a “separate and independent Mindanao.”
He warned that the national government “will not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell and stop any and all attempts to dismember the Republic.”
“Any attempt to secede any part of the Philippines will be met by the government with resolute force, as it remains steadfast in securing the sovereignty and integrity of the national territory,” said Año, who served as an interior secretary and an Armed Forces of the Philippines chief under Duterte.
The national security adviser also said that calls to separate Mindanao from the rest of the country does not only run counter to the Constitution, “but also threatens to undo the hard-won gains of peace and development, particularly in Mindanao.”
Full Story at: ‘One Philippines’: NSC, Mindanao governments reject secession calls | Philstar.com
16 dead, 3 missing in Davao floods, landslides — NDRRMC | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The death toll from floods and landslides in Mindanao has risen to 16, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday.
The fatalities were all reported in Davao region, which was battered by relentless downpour in the past week.
NDRRMC also reported that three people from Davao region were missing, while 11 were injured.
Over 772,000 individuals from Northern Mindanao, Davao region, SOCCSKSARGEN, CARAGA, and the Bagsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were affected by the trough of a now-dissipated low pressure area (LPA) and the northeast monsoon.
Of the affected population, more than 409,000 were displaced.
“Last week, we experienced a series of rains here due to a shear line. That rain caused flooding and led to many evacuations. After a five-day gap, it rained again due to an LPA,” Rep. Maricar Zamora (Davao de Oro) told radio TeleRadyo Serbisyo.
Full Story at: 16 dead, 3 missing in Davao floods, landslides — NDRRMC | Philstar.com
PH ready to use ‘forces’ to quell any secession attempt – Año | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines – Philippine government is ready to use “authority and forces” against attempts to divide the nation, a security official said Sunday, after former President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to separate some southern islands from the rest of the archipelago.
Duterte has called for the independence of his hometown Mindanao from the Philippines as his alliance with President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. disintegrated this week over disagreements around efforts to amend the constitution.
Marcos said amending the 1987 constitution was meant to ease foreign investments, but Duterte accused him of using constitutional change to stay in power.
National security adviser Eduardo Año said in a statement that any attempt to secede “will be met by government with resolute force,” citing “recent calls to separate Mindanao,” but without specifically naming Duterte.
“The national government will not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell and stop any and all attempts to dismember the Republic,” Año warned.
Full Story at: PH ready to use ‘forces’ to quell any secession attempt–Año (inquirer.net)
Baste Duterte clarifies ‘apology’ to Imee Marcos: It was simply out of pity | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte was not amused by Senator Imee Marcos’ account of how he supposedly apologized to her for his harsh remarks against the senator’s brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
In a post on Facebook, the mayor clarified that while he indeed said sorry to the senator, it was simply out of pity.
“Madame Imee, linawin ko lang kasi ginagamit mo na sa drama mo diyan sa media. Humingi ako ng tawad dahil naawa ako sayo, hindi dahil sa mga sinabi ko tungkol sa kapatid mo na presidente,” Duterte said in a post on February 3.
(Madame Imee, let me clarify because you’re already using it in your drama there in the media. I asked for forgiveness because I felt sorry for you, not because of what I said about your sibling, the president.)
Full Story at: Baste on issued apology to Imee: It was simply out of pity (inquirer.net)
