Former president Rodrigo Duterte (Malacañang photo)

Rodrigo Duterte is known for his supposed legacy of support to uniformed personnel, but is this reason enough to carry out a loyalty check on them amid the former president's plan to have a separate and independent Mindanao? 

This question was posed to Duterte’s former party-mate over at Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel. 

"There is no need for a loyalty check [on the men in uniform]," Pimentel, now a National Unity Party (NUP) stalwart, said on Sunday, Feb. 11. 

According to the veteran solon, the big wigs in the military and defense have already made their position crystal clear on the secession issue. 

"DND (Department of National Defense) Secretary [Gibo] Teodoro, AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) Chief General [Romeo] Brawner [Jr.], and PNP (Philippine National Police) Chief General [Benjamin] Acorda [Jr.] has already released a statement that they will protect the sovereignty of our country and vowed to stop any group that will initiate secession of Mindanao," Pimentel said. 

"I believe that the men in uniform are loyal to our country," added the Mindanao lawmaker. 

Last Thursday, President Marcos Jr. rejected the call to separate the southern islands from the Philippines, and called it is a “grave violation of the Constitution". 

“The new call for a separate Mindanao is doomed to fail, for it is anchored on a false premise, not to mention a sheer constitutional travesty,” Marcos said in his speech during the Constitution Day event at a Makati City hotel. 

Duterte, a former longtime Davao City mayor, served as Philippine president from 2016 to 2022. Marcos is his direct successor. 

Duterte is known for his pro-AFP and PNP rhetoric. Among his campaign promises was to increase the salaries of soldiers and police officers--something that he fulfilled in 2018. 

Critics say the reason why Duterte is advocating Mindanao's secession is to divert public attention from his case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection to his bloody war against illegal drugs.