Masbate now an independent nation

MASBATE CITY - Roughly 500,000 people gathered at the city's People's Park yesterday to witness Masbate's Independence Day rites despite the Philippine Government's plea to talk things over once more.

Provincial Governor Constantin Magallanes, now the nation's prime minister, declared Masbate independent from the Philippines in a celebration that was highlighted by Rodeo Festival's festivites, a parade of Masbate Armed Forces' arsenal, including an air show by the Air Force and a thirty-minute fireworks display.

Magallanes, a retired British Navy Brigadier General, said that Masbate's breaking up with the Philippines was backed up and recognized by international bodies like the United Nations. "The UN, APEC, Asean, and other international organizations have recognized our independence legitimate in accordance with the international law," noted Magallanes in front of local and international media in a press conference at The Capitol. "We also have the support from foreign countries and they even pledged to invest more in our newly-freed country."

Masbate's economy has skyrocketed in the past ten years that it even caught up with Asian giants Japan, Hongkong, Singapore, and South Korea. But the Malacanang clearly doesn't want to give up their former province of 10 million people, insisting that the Masbate Government was not able to comply with the International Court's requirements.

"It is clear that Masbate is still 'unripe' to become an independent country," said Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Ramon Gonzales in an emergency press conference at the Palace last night. "They are still incapable of running Masbate all by themselves. We offered them of running Masbate under the Philippines in a Special Administrative Region status but they just turned down the proposal."

The new Masbate International Affairs secretary Robert Castilla said that their government has done every necessary step that the international law requires for Masbate to break away from the Philippines. He also accounted the results of the plebescite last January in which votes for Masbate to become a nation won unanimously, garnering 89 percent of the 8.5 million votes.

Magallanes also stressed that a national elections will be held in Masbate sometime in August, which will seat their new republic's president, vide president, 21 senators, 45 congress representatives, governors, city and municipal mayors, vice mayors and district heads.

The Masbate Transition Government Board has also ratified its own constitution and appointed secretares to state departments and bureaus. The board has also passed the first resolution in its Transitional Congress which establishes Metropolitan Masbate, an urban conggregation of five highly urbanized cities with 6.5 million of the province's more than 10 million people.

A total news blackout about Masbate's independence is being implemented in the Philippines especially in the Greater Manila Area.

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