Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año welcomed Thursday the message on the tarpaulins declaring the New People’s Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) are persona non-grata in Metro Manila.
(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
He maintained that the NPA and the NDF are unwelcome in the country adding that the global community no longer supports communism except them.
“Panahon na talaga para ano yan e, tapusin na nila. Sino pa ba ang naniniwala sa kumunista ngayon? Wala nang kumunista sa boung mundo sila na lang (It is time for them to end it (communism). Are there any people who still believe in the communist? There are no more communist in the world, except them),’’ Año said.
In defending his stance, Año said the people who put up the tarpaulin banners in Manila are fed up with the communists as they merely expressed their sentiments in peaceful ways, devoid of violence and vandalism.
Clueless on what group put up the anti-red tarps, Año said it is not definitely the NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict).
“I don’t think galing sa ELCAC yan (it is from the (ELCAC). I should know kung galing sa ELCAC yan (if it came from the ELCAC),’’ he added.
Maintaining that “there are a lot of groups supportive of the ELCAC and anti-CPP-NPA’’, Año said “you cannot prevent those groups, even a lot of LGUs (local government units) in the provinces and cities from declaring the CPP-NPA and NDF “persona non grata.’’
But Manila Mayor Isko Moreno ordered Wednesday the removal of the said tarpaulin banners as he urged the public to spread love instead of hate in the midst of the pandemic.
Despite the move, Año said that Moreno has his reasons and has been known to be the man for the masses who prefers to address the issues through non-violent means.
However, Año believes that Moreno deep in his heart does not support the communist movement.