PNP: Tarp in Manila declaring Reds persona non grata in NCR from NTF-ELCAC
MANILA, Philippines — The tarpaulin spotted in Manila declaring members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA), and its political wing National Democratic Front (NDF) as persona non grata in Metro Manila was from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday.
“Sa ELCAC ‘yan (It was from ELCAC), sa end local terrorism armed conflict. It is actually in partnership with all the community,” PNP chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Civil Security Group’s satellite office in Manila when asked if the tarpaulin was from PNP as it bore the agency’s logo.
The tarpaulin hanging on a footbridge near the United States Embassy along Roxas Boulevard reads: “Ang teroristang CPP-NPA-NDF ay persona non grata sa Metro Manila (Terrorist groups CPP-NPA-NDF are persona non grata in Metro Manila).”
It also listed the PNP’s hotline numbers for reporting information about the communist rebels.
Under Executive Order No. 70 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018, the PNP chief is among the members of the task force along with the heads of other government agencies.
“Ayaw po natin may mangyaring masama sa atin. Ayaw po nating magkaroon ng rebellion, lalo na mga kwan ng NPA, mga galawan ng NPA,” Cascolan commented.
(We don’t want harm to fall on us. We don’t want rebellion to happen, especially with the actions of the NPA.)
“What we [don’t] want is they go here. This is a wide area. They enjoy Manila. Wag na po silang mang-abuso at hindi po natin sila sasaktan din,” he also said.
(What we want is for them [to not] go here. This is a wide area. They enjoy Manila. They should not commit abuse so that we will not hurt them.)
Cascolan further said the police will have to do their jobs if the communist rebels will cause harm in the region.
“Syempre kung mananakit din po sila at magkakaroon ng rally, kailangan magtrabaho ang pulis natin to prevent po ‘yung mga rallies lalo na kung walang mga permiso.
(If they will hurt us and there will be a rally, the police will have to do their jobs to prevent rallies especially those that do not have permits.)
“Kung nananakit po sila, dapat hulihin din natin ‘yan. Hindi natin papayagan na umusbong ulit ang insurgency. ‘Yan po ang rason kung bakit ‘yan ay pinagtutulungan natin, tayong lahat,” he said.
(If they will hurt us, we should arrest them. We will not allow the insurgency to come back. That is the reason why we unite against it.)
In 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a proclamation declaring CPP and its armed wing NPA as terrorist organizations. In July this year, after signing the anti-terrorism bill into law, he reiterated that he considers communist rebels as terrorists.
However, CPP insisted it is not a terrorist group and that the United Nations has not declared it as such.
