ANAD downplays 'persona non grata' declaration, goes back to Davao City

CEBU, Philippines - Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy Partylist Rep. Pastor Alcover, Jr. decries the unilateral and unjustifiable action of the City Council of Davao declaring him and Bantay Partylist Rep. Jovito Palparan as “persona non grata.”

Alcover told The FREEMAN that the resolution passed by the City Council of Davao will not affect him and Palparan in continuing their fight against insurgency problems.

“Instead of upholding the rule of law, Davao City is ruled by the iron hands of its leader,” Alcover said as he decries the unilateral and unjustifiable action of the city’s legislative body when it discussed and approved the resolution without holding an investigation to hear the side of him and Palparan on the alleged information published in a Mindanao-based newspaper.

The resolution said that on November 23 of last year, Alcover said in an article in the said newspaper that people up on the hinterlands of Davao City continue to wallow in poverty primarily because of the continuing communist insurgency.

The resolution further said that in the same news article, Alcover further stated: “The Duterte administration has perpetrated the killing field image of Davao City that started in the early ‘80s where the New People’s Army made the place its laboratory for urban insurrection and sparrow unit liquidation.”

It further mentioned that on December 8, 2009, Palparan said in a news article in the Mindanao Daily Mirror that “Duterte should take part of the blame for the increasing boldness of the communist NPA in Davao City.”

The city council resolution stressed that Alcover and Palparan made it appear to the rest of the country and the world that Davao City is a breeding ground for NPA guerrillas and this brings about violence that is detrimental to progress and development of the city.

“This is serious as it clearly shows what kind of leadership Davao City has under the stewardship of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Definitely, the hands of Mayor Duterte is visible on this,” said Alcover as he slammed Duterte for allegedly using force and intimidation with impunity against his own people.

“We stand by our position that indeed the killing spree in Davao City from the 1980s, when the Maoist terrorists used the city as a laboratory for urban insurrection and sparrow unit liquidation, continues under the present administration of Mayor Duterte,” Alcover pointed out.

“Today, Davao City is very popular throughout the country as a haven of Maoist terrorist partisan liquidation and activities. Why is this so? If Mayor Duterte is really true and faithful to his oath of office, he could easily and effectively rid the city of Maoist terrorists. But the exact opposite is what happened! This is the main reason why ANAD, as it seeks to advance its advocacy, is in Davao City again,” Alcover added. — Jose P. Sollano/MEEV   (FREEMAN NEWS)