Expulsion proceedings coming? Solon wants Alvarez probed over Mindanao secession plan
Davao del Norte 1st district Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Facebook)
Will former House Speaker, Davao del Norte 1st district Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez end up getting kicked out of Congress for advocating Mindanao's secession?
This question will be answered sooner or later, as Camiguin lone district Rep. Jurdin Jesus "JJ" Romualdo urged his colleagues in the House of Representatives to investigate— and should the evidence warrant— initiate expulsion proceedings against Alvarez for his supposed role in the secession movement.
“Lawmakers and ordinary Mindanaoans are gravely concerned over the potential implications of such separatist movements on national unity and stability," Romualdo said in a statement Sunday, Feb. 4.
The proposed separation of the southern islands from the rest of the country was floated by former president Rodrigo Duterte, and supported by Alvarez. Alvarez served as House Speaker during first two years of the Duterte administration.
Romualdo said the secession proposal has far-reaching effects on the values of sovereignty, unity, and rule of law in the Philippines.
HAVE YOU READ THIS?
https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/4/duterte-alvarez-could-be-held-liable-for-sedition-says-camiguin-solon-gov
“It took many decades and countless lives lost before Mindanao experienced relative peace. Now that it’s on the road to prosperity, it’s frustrating that people like Duterte and Alvarez are willing to throw all that sacrifice in the name of self-preservation,” Romualdo stressed.
Romualdo and his son Governor Xavier Jesus "XJ" Romualdo says Camiguin, an island-province in Northern Mindanao, is vehemently opposed to Duterte’s "self-serving plan to divide the nation".
In August 2023, the House of Representatives voted 265-0-3 (yes-no-abstain) to expel Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. for "disorderly behavior". This was in connection with Teves' refusal to report back to work after he had been tagged as the mastermind of the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.