Ifugao councils declare ‘front groups’ unwanted

LAGAWE, Ifugao -- Officials and members of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance and other similar leftist organizations were declared persona non grata in the province by peace councils. 

The Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council unanimously approved Joint Resolution No. 5 series of 2020 declaring the CPA and other similar groups as persona non grata.

The government groups said the CPA was among the identified front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in the Cordillera Region.

“Their operations pose a threat to the peace and continuous development of local communities,” the resolution stated.

 The CPP-NPA has been declared by the government as a terrorist organization and was declared persona non grata by the province of Ifugao and all its 11 municipalities through their respective Sanggunian bayan.

 “The CPP-NPA uses its front organizations to recruit new members and sow disinformation and hatred against the government in the local communities,” the PPOC and PADAC stated in the joint resolution.

The CPA did not issue a statement on the matter at press time.- JDP/MBL- PIA CAR, Ifugao