The Davao City Council has adopted a resolution denouncing vice presidential candidate Walden Bello and declaring him persona non grata in Davao city over his “malicious claims” of corruption in the city, especially in its projects.
In making the move, the city’s aldermen feared that Bello’s baseless allegations will tarnish Davao City’s reputation, both locally and abroad, as top tourism and investment haven in the country.
“The City Council denounces the unbecoming character of Walden Bello particularly his act of employing malicious tirades. Davao City’s exemplary reputation is the hard work not only of the local government but every honest, disciplined, responsible Dabawenyo,” the resolution reads.
“As we condemn Walden Bello’s acts, we also vehemently declare that he is not welcome to enter the borders, and the entire territorial jurisdiction of Davao City,” it added.
During the vice presidential debate on Sunday hosted by the Commission on Elections, the foul-mouthed Bello spewed baseless claims of corruption in Davao City’s projects and also implied that the city was the center of illegal drugs in Mindanao.
Davao City is headed by Mayor Sara Duterte who is on official leave as she is running for the vice presidential post as a Lakas-CMD candidate where she is leading Bello and the other bets in the campaign by a wide margin according to results of multiple surveys.
According to the resolution, “Bello’s persistent attacks will debilitate Davao City’s economic recovery efforts, especially in promoting the city’s tourism and investment opportunities to the local and international scene, and ultimately affect Davao City’s reputable governance to the public in general.”
It also said that Bello’s “publicized malicious statements discredit the efforts and commitment of hardworking city government employees who are behind all the successes and recognitions received by the city.”
The resolution noted that Davao City under Mayor Duterte has received “118 awards and citations from 2016 up to 2021” and has been recognized by the Department of Interior and Local Government with the “Seal of Local Governance” and “Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping over the years.”
“The National Competitiveness Council and the Department of Trade and Industry named Davao City the 4th Most Competitive Highly Urbanized City in the 2021 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI)—the highest ranking of any city outside of the National Capital Region,” it declared.
“Last February 2, 2022, the Department of Trade and Industry – RXI conferred Davao City as ‘Most Competitive City’ in Vismin (Visayas-Mindanao) and was given a special award as the first Highly-urbanized City to pass a landmark ordinance establishing the ‘Davao City Inventions and Innovations Center in the Philippine,’” it added.
In May 2018, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) awarded Davao City with special recognition as one of the “Most Peaceful and Safest Cities in Southeast Asia” while the Davao City Police Office was recognized as the “Best City Police Office” in 2017 and 2020 by the Philippine National Police.
The resolution also said that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency even awarded Davao City as an “Outstanding Local Government – City Level” for its relentless anti-drug campaign in Region 9 in 2019.
Contrary to the claims of the “wayward” presidential candidate, the city councilors of Davao noted that the city has become “safer and more developed with top-notch infrastructure, economic and social programs.”