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DavOr prov'l tribal council declares NPA ‘persona non grata’

By Lilian Mellejor

March 29, 2019, 7:49 am

DAVAO CITY -- Members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), are no longer welcome in the province of Davao Oriental after the provincial tribal council declared the communist organization "persona non grata".

The provincial tribal council of Davao Oriental has approved a resolution condemning the atrocities relentlessly committed by the CPP-NPA and the National Democratic Front (NDF). The resolution was passed by the tribal council during its special meeting in Boston, Davao Oriental on February 20.

The tribal council is composed of chieftains from 11 towns – Boston, Cateel, Baganga, Caraga, Manay, Tarragona, Governor Generoso, San Isidro, Banaybanay, Lupon, and Mati City. The resolution, approved by provincial tribal chieftain Eleuterio Manaytay, was formally submitted to the provincial government on March 28.

In the resolution, the tribal chieftains said that since its establishment, the CPP posed a threat to the security and development of the province and its municipalities.

The tribal council joined tribal groups in Davao City and the local government units that declared the communist organization persona non grata, such as the Obu-Manobo tribe in Davao City and the Provincial Peace and Order Council of Compostela Valley.

This was followed by another declaration from the Davao Oriental provincial government against the NPA because its presence is a threat to the province and its residents.

The Davao Occidental town of Jose Abad Santos has also declared the NPA persona non grata, citing the "continued acts of violence, terrorism, violent extremism, and other forms of lawlessness, oppression, and harassment of the communist insurgents to the people." (PNA)

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