DAVAO CITY—President Duterte on Wednesday assured Mindanao’s local government executives of fair sharing once the country shifted to a federal form of government.
Duterte met several Moro government chief executives in an almost hourlong meeting at the Matina Enclaves, the alternate Presidential office in Mindanao, the Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) said.
The President cited the merits of federalism, the platform to stamp out the cycle of war among the Moro population.
He said the federal form of government he was pushing would to put an end to the decades-long dispute in Mindanao.
“We don’t intend to leave anybody behind so things can move forward,” he said.
He allayed fears that a federal type of government would cause an unfair distribution of power in local governments, saying he will ensure equality and fairness once the federal form of government pushes through.
He said he would continue to study this matter and prioritize the best interests of the country.
Among those he met were former Sulu Gov. and Royal Council of the Sulu Sultanate (RCSS) Special Envoy Datu Shahbandar Abdusakur Tan, Jolo Mayor Kerkhar Tan, Pandami Mayor Hatta Berto, Kalingalan Caluang Mayor Peping Halun, Lugus Mayor Hadar Hajiri, Parang Mayor Madzhar Loong, Pata Mayor Anton Burahan, Omar Mayor Hadji Hussein Mohammad, former Patikul Mayor Kabir Hayudini, Siasi Mayor Arthur Muksan and Old Panamao Mayor Al Frazier Abdurajak.
The PCOO said Moro leaders expressed “sincere interests” for change and peace in Mindanao “mainly through a federal type of government,” and agreed that a federal system was the best alternative because it would allow the Moro community to integrate, rather than be divided by religion.
Tan said he hoped that a federal type of government would end the “generations after generations” of dispute in Mindanao, citing the struggle waged by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Duterte said he would do all that he could in his term to pave the way for change in Mindanao. He said a new autonomous state of Mindanao was necessary and that the country “should absorb a federal type of government for sectors to achieve autonomy.”
“I’ve always wanted peace. Ang akin talaga [Mine] is peace at all costs,” he said.
Duterte earlier met with MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari in a private meeting, the PCOO said.