Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama posed for a photo with the Shari’ah Training Seminar participants on Saturday, Feb. 10 in Cebu City. | Photo from Cebu City PIO
CEBU CITY, Philippines —The proposed separation of Mindanao from the Philippines was unnecessary, according to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
Rama, who is also the national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, said that he would always prefer to have just one Philippine archipelago.
“Kon servant ka always look at your fellowmen, fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, fellow Filipinos. I don’t want Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao separated. I only would want one Philippine archipelago,” Rama, who was guest speaker of the 18th Shari’ah Training Seminar Commencement held in a Cebu City hotel on Saturday, Feb. 10, said in his speech.
An excerpt of the mayor’s speech was posted on the official Facebook page of the Cebu City Public Information Office (PIO).
Earlier, Rama also said that he supports the call of the Department of Interior and Local Government for “a united country to continue our achievements in peace, progress, and prosperity.”
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Meanwhile, the event that Rama attended on Saturday was part of the Shari’ah Law Training which started in November 2023.
In a social media post, PIO said that the training was mandatory especially for those who will take the Shari’ah Bar Examinations (SBE) scheduled on Feb. 25 and 28.
The PIO added that a total of 52 participants completed the Shari’ah Law Training; 35 of which were female while 17 were male.
Minang Manggis, the head of the Cultural Affairs Division of the National Commission of Muslim Filipinos in Visayas, led the recognition of the participants, the PIO said.
Maria Filomena Singh, chairperson of 2024 SBE, said in Shari’ah Bar Bulletin No. 1 dated December 14, 2023, that the examinations will be conducted in a regionalized and digitized format.
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