CPP-NPA UNWELCOME. The town of Maasin in Iloilo province on Thursday (August 8, 2019) declares the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) persona non-grata. Mayor Francis Amboy (second from right) said the town condemns the atrocities of the rebel group and assures the safety of its residents. (Photo courtesy of 3ID Public Affairs Office)
ILOILO CITY -The town of Maasin on Thursday declared the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) persona non grata, the first municipality in the province to do so.
Through Municipal Peace and Order Council Resolution No. 01, Maasin town condemned the terror acts committed by the rebel group and declared them unwelcome.
In a phone interview on Friday, Maasin Mayor Francis Amboy said the town does not tolerate the actions of the CPP-NPA. “The rebel group attacked our policemen twice in the year 2017,” he said as he recalled the times NPA rebels attacked Maasin.
In June 2017, around 60 rebels raided Maasin municipal police station, handcuffed policemen and took away their firearms. About five months after, a police officer was killed in an ambush by the rebels in Bolo village.
In 2016, he said the rebels also clashed with soldiers in Trangka village.
The resolution, signed by the mayor, said the atrocities by the CPP-NPA affected the socio-economic advancement of the municipality because it has propagated “fear to the general public and even potential investors, which made a terrible economic implication not only in the municipality but the whole province.”
Amboy said it is about time to show the residents and the rebels that Maasin town has a “strong mandate” to push for peace and order.
“As the father of the town, we should stand on the side of the government and assure the safety of our residents by condemning the actions of the CPP-NPA,” he said, urging other local chief executives to reject the communist organization's presence in their areas.
“We advise the residents to report to the government any problems that you see in your municipalities and not support the actions against the government,” he said.
Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) lauded Maasin town for its effort.
“The role of our LGUs is vital in ending insurgency in the province; hence, I am commending the municipality of Maasin in taking the lead role in preventing the CPP-NPA terrorists from entering and casting more terror in their communities by declaring them unwelcome,” he said in a statement.
He urged other local government units to make the CPP-NPA “permanently irrelevant.”
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1077475
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