Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has ordered the removal of tarpaulins declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front (NDF) as persona non grata in the National Capital Region (NCR) across the city.
According to the Manila Public Information Office on Wednesday night, Domagoso directed the removal of the tarpaulins as he urged the public to spread love instead of hate amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Spread love, not hate, in the midst of this pandemic. Filipino kapwa Filipino magkaisa muna,” Domagoso said in a statement.
The tarpaulins were spotted on the railings of a footbridge near the US Embassy along Roxas Boulevard.
They included a hotline number of the police for the public to report any information about the communist rebels to authorities as well as the logo of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
PNP Chief Police General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan had said the tarpaulin only shows the partnership with localities in fighting communist insurgency.
He also said police officers would never allow the illegal activities and abuses of communist rebels, especially if the latter have the intention to hurt the public.