He then made mention of Mindanao being the “…the Land of Promise…” because in the past, administrations would just promise efforts to come to Mindanao – and then touted that change is coming through his administration to Mindanao – again to applause. No longer would “Imperial Manila” have the brunt of the budget, because he said, he would sign within 48 hours the Bangsamoro Organic Law which has been certified as urgent to be ratified.
War is never an option, he stated and that while Mindanao maybe in a crossroads, one where devastation would occur and in the other, harmony and order. He promised that he would read the BOL just to make sure that there are no insertions that would benefit a few.
While it is certainly true that between the three major island groups, Mindanao has been lagging behind due to uncontrollable forces, the gist is that development is getting far behind because of partisan politics that has been saddling the region. The people applauded the initiative but still question how development would come to such a place where people seem to be looking for themselves rather than the country’s.
Below are links to reactions to 3rd State of the Nation Address highlighting other specific topics. Hope this helps.
- Main Page – Introduction
- Surprising to Say the Least
- Initial Salvo
- Corrosive Love – and a Subtle Reminder
- Friendship has Its Limits
- Stronger Bonds with ASEAN and China
- No End to ENDO
- Other Highlights
- Railroading TRAIN – Stop It!
- Immediate reactions
- Final Take
- Post Script on History
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