Está en la página 1de 3

Proposition: LET IT BE RESOLVED THAT MINDANAO BE GIVEN INDEPENDENCE.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, to the board of adjudicators, and to my fellow debaters. I
resolve that Mindanao must not be given independence. We from the negative side will argue that it is not
necessary, beneficial and practicable to give Mindanao independence. The Philippine Constitution does
not allow dismemberment of the Republic. From the Spanish era until the time that we gained Philippine
independence, Mindanao was one and with us through all the struggles and battles. The affirmative side
raised issues that do not well substantiate the need to make Mindanao an independent state.
First and foremost, I will rebut some of the points raised by the third speaker from the
AFFIRMATIVE SIDE. He said that . (rebuttals here).
I will present to you two arguments. My first argument is that if Mindanao will become an
independent state, it will not be self-sufficient, and second, reformation of the government or the
allocation of national budget will suffice to improve Mindanao.
My first argument is that if Mindanao will become an independent state, it will not be selfsufficient. The creation of an additional layer of governmentnamely the statewill inevitably lead to
higher levels of expenditures.
We on the negative side acknowledge the richness of Mindanaos resources, that we, Mindanaons
are sitting on a gold mine. However, granted that Mindanao becomes an independent state like what
happened to Singapore when it separated from Malaysia, how will those rich resources finance the
additional expenses for the armed forces and additional expenses for governance? Mindanao will have to
tend to its own needs.
They must develop their economies, reorganize their political systems, and, in many cases, settle
bitter territorial disputes.
A state has to have sovereignty. There are two aspects of sovereignty: internal sovereignty and
external sovereignty. Internal Sovereignty means some persons, assembly of group of persons in every
independent state have the final legal authority to command and enforce obedience.
With the Muslims ongoing struggle to create a separate Bangsamoro state, Mindanao must create
a very strong army. If it becomes a small state, unlike Vatican or Singapore, insurgents will easily invade
Mindanao, thus, it becomes very vulnerable.
Aside from that, if it becomes independent, it will have to delineate continental waters around its
jurisdiction. There will be, in the end, conflict of jurisdiction. Also, importation of goods and

transportation will be more difficult and expensive due to customs dues,etc. As gleaned from the records
of the National Statistics Office in the year 2014, Luzon and Visayas overshadow Mindanao in the
number of exports and imports by more than 50%. Also, BIR tax revenue and income reports show that
Luzon and Visayas lead. Tax, as we all know, is the lifeblood of the government.
How will the people of Mindanao cope with this? Wouldnt there be higher rate of insurgency and
smuggling. Rich natural resources will never compensate with the expenses borne in line with
independence.
My second argument is that , reformation of the government or the allocation of national budget
will suffice to improve Mindanao.
It is not practicable to make Mindanao an independent state. As discussed, there will have to be
Constitutional amendments, thus, there will be huge expenses and it will take a long time. Commission on
Elections (Comelec) Charman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the government will have to spend at least P7
billion for amending the Constitution. It would cost another P7 billion if Congress decides to call for a
constitutional convention, which requires election of delegates, the actual convention, and a nationwide
plebiscite, among others.
Instead, we must strive for change within the Philippine government, most specially in budgeting
and giving Mindanao the bounties that it reaped. The Bottom-up Budgeting process will give Mindanao a
stronger voice in the process of crafting the national budget. Filipinos in Mindanao are now part of the
decision-making process for local projects that have an impact on their lives. BUB is really an exercise in
citizen empowerment.
The Aquino Administrations Bottom-up Budgeting (BUB) Summit launched in Davao on
September 2015 to highlight and track the progress of various BUB projects in the Mindanao Cluster,
altogether amounting to P19.5 billion from 2013 to 2016.
Thus, Mindanao will have bigger allocation in the Gross Domestic Product. We also know that the
cultures in Mindanao are diversified. The government is focusing on the needs of Mindanaons. The 1987
Philippine Constitution already provides autonomy to the Muslim through the ARMM and elements of
federalism are already embedded therein. For the indigents, REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8371, the Indigenous
Peoples Rights Act already recognizes the right of the indigenous people to their ancestral domain and
their right to self-determination.

We already have the right to self-determination and independence although curtailed for the sake
of our countrys welfare.

Once again, I resolve that Mindanao must not be given independence.

También podría gustarte