Monday, February 18, 2008

Metro Manila is not the Philippines, says Mindanawon lawmaker


A Mindanao congressman today warned that they will secede from the Philippines and form an independent state if "the people of Metro Manila will continue dictating their will on the Filipino people."


Davao del Sur Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas said that many Mindanaoans are enraged by the "reckless misrepresentation of the people of Metro Manila" on the real sentiment of all Filipinos."


Many people in Mindanao are already anguishing on what's happening here in Metro Manila. We are already tired of being dictated upon by the people of Metro Manila. Metro Manila is not the entire Philippines," Cagas said.


Cagas warned that fresh moves to bring down the Arroyo administration and the constant political wrangling that is taking place in Metro Manila might force the people of Mindanao to assert their right to have an independent state.


"How can we achieve peace in this country when the people of Metro Manila is always in the warpath against the government? All these demonstrations, all these calls for President Arroyo to resign, all these anti-Arroyo investigations in the Senate are a distraction in our effort to bring progress in the countryside, particularly in Mindanao," Cagas said.


"We deplore all those Metro Manila-based personalities fomenting civil unrest under the guise of searching for the truth. This unholy alliance, which is claiming to speak for our people and our nation, does not have any inkling on or does not care to know what the people outside of Metro Manila really want and deserve to get from the government," Cagas said.


Cagas also deplored the so-called "arrogance of the noisy few" as he pointed out that those who have been calling for President Arroyo to resign "do not speak for the people Mindanao."


"All is quiet in most parts of the country because all that we want is to have more bridges, more school buildings, more paved roads, more scholarships, more post-harvest facilities, more jobs and more irrigation. We have no demonstrations in the countryside. We have better things to do than going in the streets shouting slogans and calling for the President to resign," Cagas said.


He added that the Senate investigation on the so-called ZTE scandal highlighted by the revelations of Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada is now focused on fanning public outrage to bring down President Arroyo but this do not have any effect on most people particularly those who are in the countryside.


"This is an arrogance of the noisy few. The should give it a rest and wait for the 2010 elections. Their so-called search for truth are actually motivated by their endless desire to grab power," he said."


They should stop pretending that they represent the will of all Filipinos because they don't. The desire of most Filipinos is to be spared from all these noise in Metro Manila so that the government can pump more funds to develop the countryside," Cagas said.


Earlier, Manila Rep. Tricia Bonoan-David warned that staging another People Power revolt and forcing President Arroyo to step down may lead to a "civil war" because many Filipinos still support her government.


Compostela Valley Rep. Manuel "Way Kurat" Zamora also said Mindanaoans would most likely secede from the government if the anti-Arroyo forces will have their way in bringing down her government. (Office of Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas of 1st district of Davao Del Sur)

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