DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. said on Saturday, February 3, that the Philippines must remain united and undivided to ensure continued peace, progress and development in Mindanao.

Abalos made the statement in response to former president Rodrigo Duterte's recent declaration that political forces in Davao are regrouping to start a movement for a separate and independent Mindanao.

Duterte said Mindanao would rather be "independent since nothing has happened in the Philippines after so many presidents."

Duterte said that the new movement would be headed by Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, who will push for the separation of the South from the Republic.

The former president said Mindanao may follow the track taken by Singapore in the 1960s when it separated from Malaysia and became an independent state.

However, Abalos said secession is not the answer to Mindanao's concerns as this would violate the fundamental tenets of the Philippine Constitution.

"It would destroy the territorial integrity of the Philippines and disrupt decades of painstaking effort to build a stronger union among all our peoples and ethnicities," he said.

Abalos pointed out that the people's right to self-determination should be exercised within the framework of the state.

Abalos cited the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as a "powerful example of addressing historical grievances and providing self-governance within the bounds of Philippine law."

"We urge all stakeholders to uphold the sanctity of the Philippine Constitution for a strong, united and undivided nation," he said.