The Municipal Peace and Order Council for Tubungan, Iloilo is set to meet today regarding a possible “persona non-grata,” or unwelcome, declaration against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA). Mayor Roquito Tacsagon earlier announced the meeting, noting, “The CPP-NPA has been a perennial problem in the municipality.”
The insurgent group recently staged an ambush in the town’s Barangay Singon last Monday.
“We cannot attain development if we cannot address the peace and order situation and the insurgency,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod declared the CPP-NPA “persona non-grata.” City Councilor Al Victor Espino, who penned the resolution, cited Executive Order No. 16, s. 2017, which focused the nation on a united national security policy that calls for an end to all armed threats in the Philippines.
The city official noted, “There is a need to reframe and refocus the government policy for achieving inclusive and sustainable peace by recognizing that insurgencies, internal disturbances and tensions, and other armed conflicts and threats are not only military and security concerns but are symptomatic of broader social, economic, and historical problems, such as poverty, historical injustice, social inequality, and lack of inclusivity, among others.”
In addition, Following a resolution signing and “Walk for Peace” at the Isabela Municipal Plaza last month, the municipality formally declared the NPA, along with the National Democratic Front, the political arm for the CPP, “persona non-grata” in the town./WDJ