Outgoing Quezon City District 4 Councilor Ivy Lagman clarified on Wednesday, June 8, that the resolution declaring comedienne Ai-ai delas Alas and film director Darryl Yap as “persona non grata” does not totally ban them from coming to the city.
Lagman said the resolution is the city council’s symbolic way of expressing its sentiments over the two personalities’ “disrespect” for the QC official seal.
“Makakapunta po sila because this is just a resolution, hindi siya ordinance. Wala siyang kaakibat na penalty. This is just our sentiments. So pwede pa din silang pumunta, pwede naman sila mag-transact. But gusto lang namin ipaabot na ‘yung ginawa niyong pambabastos sa seal ng Quezon City, hindi siya acceptable sa mga tao dito sa Quezon City (They can come because this is just a resolution and not an ordinance. There is no penalty that goes with it. This is just our sentiments. So, they can still come and transact. But we just want to convey that the insult they did on the seal of Quezon City is not acceptable to the people here in Quezon City),” the councilor said in an interview with News5 on Wednesday.
The resolution filed by Lagman and other councilors was approved during the 94th regular session of the 21st City Council last Monday, June 6.
It stemmed from the campaign video posted on the director’s VinCentiments Facebook page last April 29, which showed the comedienne playing a character that impersonates Mayor Joy Belmonte.
It also featured the city’s official triangular seal which was “defaced” to campaign for President-elect Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos and Vice-President-elect Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
The councilor urged the two personalities and other content creators involved in the said video to apologize to the Quezon City residents.
During the interview, the councilor explained that the “persona non grata” tag only applies to foreign diplomats who are unwelcome in a country, but it cannot be enforced locally.
“Gusto lang naman namin sana mag-apologize sila sa ginawa nila (We just want them to apologize for what they did). So as I have said doon sa aking Facebook page, ako po ay hindi po ako pinalad for my third-term, patapos na po ang aking term (I was not re-elected for my third-term, my term is coming to an end). So sakali man na mag-apologize sila (just in case they apologize), maybe the next council can lift the persona non grata. But I don’t see it coming anytime soon,” the councilor added.