ILOILO City – “I have nothing against the proposal to pronounce the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), persona non grata,” declared Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director Police Colonel Martin Defensor Jr. recently reiterated a proposal for the city government to declare rebels persona non grata.
The purpose, said Defensor, is to make the rebels “feel alienated.”
Treñas said the Iloilo City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) could recommend such to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) that in turn could pass a resolution.
But the CPOC must be reorganized first, said Treñas.
The current CPOC was formed by Treñas’ predecessor, then mayor Jose Espinosa III.
Defensor first broached the idea in May. He said the CPP-NPA is a threat to the city’s peace and security.
No member of the previous SP, however, was brave enough to sponsor a resolution declaring the rebels persona non grata in Iloilo City.
The city council merely “noted” Defensor’s request.
During a recent meeting with Treñas, Defensor said the declaration was necessary even if no CPP-NPA atrocities were recorded in this highly urbanized city.
The rebels conduct “legal activities like financial transactions” here, he told the mayor.
“We have reports of extortion activities. By declaring them persona non grata, we are sending them a signal, a strong message that they are not welcome in the city,” said Defensor./PN
