CAVITE 4th District Rep. Francisco Barzaga is pushing for the secession of Mindanao Island, saying that the Marcos administration has become biased toward the National Capital Region (NCR).
In a video statement on his Facebook page on Friday, Barzaga said that as Mindanao is the second-largest island in the country, their interests should not be ignored or be considered as “less important” than those in Luzon.
“And with the recent flood control anomalies being traced back to the residences of corrupt politicians in the NCR, the interest for Mindanao’s secession has gradually increased,” Barzaga said.
He said that Mindanao is “capable” of being self-sufficient as an independent nation with their abundant natural resources and competent labor force.
Barzaga also noted that the “corrupt national government” taxing Mindanao citizens for the benefit of Luzon politicians is “upsetting” to Mindanaoans.
“I can sympathize with their anger. As a representative from Cavite, it disgusts me that their government funds for developing provinces like ours are being funneled by Congress into the pockets of corrupt politicians that reside in exclusive subdivisions in the National Capital Region, like Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village,” Barzaga said.
He said that the desire for Mindanao secession is in response to what he called as an “extreme corruption” of the elites of the NCR who “look down upon them as lesser beings is a very valid sentiment.”
“I shall ask both Congress and President Marcos to start considering and discussing a possible change to our natural territory in order to meet the desires of our citizens,” Barzaga said.
Barzaga’s call for the secession of the region is not new, as former House speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said last year that it has become “warranted” as Mindanao has already been left behind.
Alvarez’s call, however, was thumbed down by Mindanao lawmakers during the 19th Congress, saying that any statement on secession will only “strike the fire.”
“Let’s give a chance to this administration to be able to provide and fulfil the promise of Mindanao, and I am confident that the president will be able to give more budget,” Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said last year.
Earlier, Barzaga has said that he plans to file an impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the constitution due to the flood control scandal.
Leave a Comment