DILG reacts to allegations the Government is forcing LGUs to declare NPAs as persona non grata

‘LGUs are not stupid to support rebels’

Quezon City, Philippines― Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Año defended Local Government Units (LGUs) following allegations by the Communist Party of the Philippines that LGUs are being forced to declare the CPP-NPA-NDF as persona non grata by threatening to withhold their budget.

As reported by the DILG, Secretary Eduardo M. Año said LGUs are not stupid to support the God-less and obsolete ideology of communist terrorist groups (CTGs), and are fed up with the CPP-NPA-NDF’s violence and atrocities.

“Please do not insult the intelligence of our local government officials. Hindi mangmang ang mga LGUs at hindi sila madidiktahan na gumawa ng mga bagay na labag sa kanilang kalooban. Ang katotohanan ay mulat ang mga mata nila at saksi sila sa panloloko ng CPP-NPA-NDF sa kanilang mga lugar," he said.

CPP’s allegation

DILG recently announced that a total of 1,546 LGUs nationwide have declared the CPP-NPA-NDF as persona non grata in their localities. In response, the CPP released a statement saying that the said LGUs were merely forced to pass the declaration otherwise their budget would be withheld.

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Meanwhile, Kalinga has declared CPP-NPA, Marijuana Cultivators and Illegal Drug Pushers as Persona Non Grata in through resolutions from the Provincial Government of Kalinga down to the Local Chief of Executives of the different municipalities and city and down to the barangay officials in the province.

LGUs get the funding according to the Constitution

Año remarked that the annual Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for LGUs is released and downloaded automatically to them in accordance with the provision of the Constitution. In 2020 alone, he said local governments received more than P640-billion of funds without a single complaint from LGUs.

He also emphasized that LGUs received more budget this year through the Bayanihan To Heal as One Law and Bayanihan to Recover as One Law in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency debunking CPP’s insinuation of budget manipulation.

In Bayanihan 2 Law alone, LGUs are taking advantage of the P1.5-billion allocation under the COVID-19 Local Government Support Fund to provinces, municipalities, and cities for their respective COVID-19 response initiatives.

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