DAVAO CITY — The Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division (10ID) has already recorded six local government units including a barangay that have declared the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP) as persona non grata in the first quarter of the year.
Capt. Jerry Lamosao, spokesperson of the 10ID and chief of the Public Affairs Office-10ID, said there were two provinces, three municipalities, and one barangay that withdrew support to the CPP-NPA-NDF by declaring them persona non grata through Peace and Order Council resolutions.
Those that declared the communist organization as persona non grata were Talaingod, Davao del Norte on Jan. 16, 2019; Compostela Valley on Jan. 25, 2019; Davao Oriental on Feb. 19, 2019; and Barangay San Isidro, Tagum City, Davao del Norte on March 4, 2019.
During the last week of March, Magpet town in North Cotabato declared the CPP-NPA-NDFP “persona non grata” during the town’s peace and order council (MPOC) special meeting.
CPP-NPA-NDF is also not welcome in the town of Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental under Mayor Jason John A. Joyce, citing the “continued acts of violence, terrorism, violent extremism and other forms of lawlessness, oppression, and harassment of the communist insurgents to the people.
Lamosao said the local governments’ declaration of the CPP-NPA-NDFP as persona non grata is a manifestation that the communist insurgents only brought extreme poverty and misery to the people.
He said many families were displaced from their economic source of income because of fear and unabated extortion.
“The people’s freedom and rights were abused by the CPP-NPA-NDFP,” he added.
He said the 10ID supports and commends the LGUs for their support to President Rodrigo Duterte and the national government’s efforts to rid the country of these communist-terrorist groups.
Brig. Gen. Mario Lacurom, General Officer-in-charge 10ID, said these LGUs are “fed up of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) or the CPP-NPA-NDF’s atrocities done in their localities.”With their declaration of persona non grata, they took courage to fight for long and lasting peace in their communities,” Lacurom said.
“They can take no more of the CTG’s deception that took the lives of their constituents for useless, obsolete and irrelevant ideology,” he added.
The 10th Infantry (Agila) Division’s area of responsibility covers Region 11, parts of Region 12, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Second District of North Cotabato, Columbio of Sultan Kudarat, two Municipalities of Caraga Region, Lingig of Surigao del Sur, Trento of Agusan del Sur, seven Barangays of Kitaotao and eight Barangays of San Fernando, Bukidnon. -PNA
