The Davao City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution declaring vice presidential candidate Walden Bello "persona non grata" after his accusations during the Commission on Election-organized debate on Sunday.
The city council said it denounces the "unbecoming character" of Bello, especially his act of employing malicious tirades.
"As we condemn Walden Bello's acts, we also vehemently declare that he is not welcome to enter the borders, and the entire jurisdiction of Davao City," said the council.
The statement comes after Bello during the debate claimed that Davao City is the "drug center of the south," adding that he wants to focus on "cleansing" the city should he win in the May election.
"I would focus on cleansing, cleaning up Davao. For instance 'yung 36.8 coastal highway road… P1 million pesos per meter? That's crazy… that's really corrupt. 'Yung modernization nila ng PUV system nila, they took away, they defrauded so many people and consolidated the whole PUV system into three bus companies, corruption 'yan," he claimed.
He added: "Davao as the drug center of the south under the control of a member of a Duterte family. My god, this is really something… we need to bring this out, so that the people can examine the record of Sara Duterte."
The Davao City Council in the resolution debunked Bello's claims by noting down its accomplishments on good governance and on the campaign against illegal drugs.
"Walden Bellos' 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 council said in its resolution.
It added that Bello's "persistent attacks will debilitate Davao City's economic recovery efforts," particularly on tourism and investment opportunities, which the council said could affect the city's reputable governance to the public in general.
Previously, the regional political party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), founded and chaired by Davao Mayor and vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte, also expressed its alarm over Bello's statement.
"HNP takes this information very seriously as a regional party with incumbent elected official members who want to strengthen our coordination with law enforcement agencies fighting the proliferation of prohibited drugs."
It tagged Bello as a "narco politician," after accusing the vice-presidential candidate of deliberately withholding from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police information about the illegal drugs in Davao.
"It can be said that Mr. Bello is a narco politician in a way that he withheld information crucial in the government's anti-drug campaign," the HNP said in a statement.
"As a vice presidential candidate in a necropolitics, as someone who knowingly and purposely refused to disclose information or cooperate with the authorities, Mr. Bello has just presented himself as a danger to peace and order and a threat to the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the government," it added.
'Unconcerned, unbothered'
Bello responded to the persona non grata tag of the Davao City Council in a statement.
"I am unconcerned and unbothered by the decision of local Davao elites to declare me as persona non grata," he said.
"I consider ordinary people in Davao to be far more important than those privileged few who have sold their souls to the Dutertes. My conversations with these people last week — with workers, farmers, professionals, and so on — have revealed an immense dissatisfaction with the corruption and hypocrisy of the city's dynasty."
Bello then went on to challenge Sara Duterte, who has decided to skip COMELEC-led debates, to a one-on-one debate.
"If the coward Mayor Sara is confident about her track record, she should show up to debate me. She should stop sending lackeys like Tupas and the city council try to wash her dirty laundry."
