CPP-NPA DECLARED PERSONA NON GRATA. Pangasinan Police Provincial director, Col. Redrico Maranan (2nd from right) and 702nd Brigade deputy commander, Col. Angel Madarang sign the resolution declaring CPP-NPA as persona non grata during the ceremonial signing in Mabini, Pangasinan on Wednesday (Nov. 20, 2019). The resolution also condemned the atrocities of the terrorist group. (Photo by Hilda Austria)
MABINI, Pangasinan -- The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) here has passed a resolution declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as persona non grata and condemning their atrocities.
“It has been observed that the CPP-NPA terrorist including its leaders, members, and supporters continue to state atrocities, violent attacks against vulnerable targets in the community conduct extortion activities against civilians and business establishments, conduct arson or burning incidents that affect government projects and continuously infiltrate the youth and labor sectors that can be utilized possibly to commit crime and other forms of lawlessness and harassment in the whole municipality,” read the resolution approved by all local officials.
In an interview Wednesday, Pangasinan police provincial director, Col. Redrico Maranan said Mabini is the first local government unit (LGU) in the province to declare CPP-NPA as persona non grata.
“We hope the other LGUs will soon follow in denouncing the CPP-NPA in their areas of jurisdiction,” he said.
Mayor Ariel de Guzman, in an interview, said the resolution is in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 70 institutionalizing the “whole-of-nation approach” in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace, and directive from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
EO 70 mandates the establishment of task forces in regional and provincial levels in the country to end local communist conflicts to pave way for the development interventions in communities and achieving lasting peace.
“We don’t want the former rebels here to go back to their former ways so we are doing our part as the local government unit (LGU),” de Guzman said.
He said the LGU, along with the other government agencies, provide livelihood programs for the rebel-returnees here.
“Solution to insurgency is not only military, it’s a social problem. We help them in enhancement of their lives so that they will not join since one of the reasons they are encouraged to join is poverty, and they are disgruntled over the national government. We improved government services to help in counter-insurgency,” he added.
Pangasinan Police Provincial Office kicked off its Oplan Panagsubli in this town on Wednesday, which is part of their counter-insurgency measures.
Some 26 rebel-returnees from Barangay Barlo here, who are mostly farmers, received farm machineries and other services from different government agencies and the provincial government of Pangasinan.
The rebel-returnees also signed pledge of allegiance and the resolution declaring CPP-NPA as persona non grata.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
