DAVAO City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte said Walden Bello and his company entered the premises of the City Council Session Hall without prior coordination on Wednesday, April 20.
Duterte issued a statement hours after Bello was seen in the Council's session hall.
In a photo shared by PTV Davao, the vice-presidential candidate was even sitting in the Presiding Officer’s Chair.
"This morning, Mr. Walden Bello and his company entered the premises of the City Council Session Hall, without prior coordination, went up to the Presiding Officer's chair, and banged the gavel. Therefore, Mr. Bello and his company were asked by the SP security to leave the hall," Duterte said.
The vice mayor, who is running for mayor in the 2022 elections, said that the hall "is open to anyone who desires to attend and observe the proceedings of the Council" when the session is ongoing.
"And when it is not, entry to the hall is subject to prior coordination with the SP [Sangguniang Panlungsod] Secretary," he said.
He said it is unclear what Bello's camp's intentions were when they entered the hall.
"It is not clear to us what their intentions are. It is campaign season and this may be their way to gain traction and attention to their ailing campaign or for other reasons only known to them. Makita ra ninyo kung unsang klase ni nga mga tawo (You can see what kind of person he is)," Duterte-Carpio said.
Bello said he went to the City Council to get a copy of the resolution of the 19th Davao City Council on March 22 declaring him persona non grata for his claim that the city was the center of the drug trade in the southern Philippines.
Prior to that, Bello filed a counter-affidavit in response to the cyberlibel complaints filed against him by former Davao City chief information officer Jefry Tupas on Wednesday morning, April 20.
Despite being declared "persona non grata" by the City Council, Bello was treated fairly in his visit to the council.
"We live in a democratic society where everyone must be treated fairly and equally," Duterte said.
"Despite the Council's Resolution declaring Mr. Walden Bello as persona non grata, he was treated with a fair degree of tolerance and respect like any other transacting citizen," Duterte added.
Councilor J. Melchor Quitain, who is running for vice mayor, said Bello's visit "was obviously tainted with malice."
"[H]aving already been declared persona non grata, the grandstanding was clearly intended to vex, annoy and disrespect not only the City Council as an institution but the citizens of Davao as well," Quitain said in a forwarded statement.
The councilor also called it "out of desperation" tactic, and has made it look "more negative rather than a positive effect on his campaign."
"It seems, out of desperation a resort to such tactic was needed to get people to notice him and his bid for vice presidency," Quitain said.
"This display of arrogance simply reconfirms his character and the reason for the resolution declaring him persona non grata," he added.
The City Council passed a resolution declaring the vice-presidential candidate "persona non grata" for his "malicious claims" of the city being the "drug center" of the southern part of the Philippines and that some of the big ticket projects are hounded with corruption.
Persona non grata is a Latin word that literally means "an unwelcome person." In the legal sense, a person so declared is no longer welcome in a country or specific place and "is usually forced to return to his or her native country/place."
But Bello said he is unbothered by the resolution and even called the council as a laughing stock of the entire country because of their action.
"Pinagtatawan na sila sa Pilipinas ngayon ang Davao City Council kasi overkill na 'yun. Persona non grata sasabihin sa isang person (The Davao City Council has become the laughing stock of the entire Philippines because what they did is already overkill. You are declaring a person persona non grata) who raises legitimate criticisms that ought to be answered in a debate," he said.
"Unfortunately, the City Council resolution has made Davao the laughing stock of the country kasi (because) other LGUs don't do that. Ito lang yata ang Davao ang gumagawa ng ganyan. (I think it is only Davao that is doing this.) I feel na nasa (that) citizens of Davao to correct these sort of thing," he added.
He also said the resolution does not reflect the entire sentiment of the Dabawenyos.