Council to tackle mayor's bid vs Asian missionaries

Monday, February 6, 2012

THE City Council is set to discuss in Tuesday's regular session an urgent recommendation to declare Asian missionaries, who visited Davao City, as "personae non gratae" after being seen dumping some inedible parts of a green sea turtle in a garbage bin inside the Sta. Ana wharf.

City Council Floor Leader Tomas Monteverde IV told Sun.Star in a text message that he will include Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio's recommendation in a privilege speech he is set to deliver today, Tuesday.

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The council did not call for a special session last week to tackle the mayor's request.

"Karong hapon nako na review ang videotape sa pawikan sa Channel 5, dili ko mopugung ni mayor kung sumbagon niya kining mga missionaries (As I review the videotape on Channel 5, I won't bar the mayor if she would punch these foreign missionaries)," Monteverde said.

To recall, when Hannah Parks, the Korean owner of the vessel, MV Hannah, along with other Asian missionaries issued a public apology on the controversy, saying that the turtle was given to them by no less than the president of Palau, this explanation did not sit well with the mayor.

Duterte said the missionaries' excuse that they got the "pawikan" outside of the country is unbelievable and a lame excuse. (Jereco O. Paloma)