Coron municipal council mulls 'persona non-grata' tag vs vloggers Rosmar, Rendon

MANILA, Philippines — Social media personalities Rendon Labador and Rosemarie Peñamora Tan, also known as “Rosmar,” may be declared persona non-grata in Coron, Palawan following their involvement in a confrontation between them and a mayor’s staff, according to one of Coron’s municipal council members. 

John Patrick Reyes, one of Coron’s municipal council members, drafted a resolution declaring the two personalities persona non-grata in a Facebook post, which is expected to be ratified after the June 24 regular session.

“RESOLVED, as it is hereby RESOLVED, to declare Rendon Labador, Rosemarie Tan Pamulaklakin a.k.a. Rosmar and Marki Tan as persona non-grata in the Municipality of Coron, Palawan for their disrespectful behavior, negative publicity, incitement to conflict, and violation of Republic Act No. 10951, also known as the ‘Property and Damage Penalty Adjustment Act’; Article 153 of the Revised Penal Code; and Republic Act No. 11313, also known as the “Safe Spaces Act (Bawal Bastos Law),” the draft of the resolution read.

According to the draft resolution, Labador's actions were described as "disrespectful, inappropriate, and a blatant disregard for proper decorum." 

It added that the vloggers caused undue distress and embarrassment to the mayor’s staff and were seen as reflecting negatively on the office she represents.

Declaring an individual persona non grata signifies that they are not welcome in a specific area. 

However, the resolution is not legally enforceable and does not prevent someone from entering the place where they have been declared persona non grata.

The issue stemmed when the personalities went to the office of Coron Mayor Marjo Reyes to complain about a comment received online from Jho Cayabyab Trinidad, one of the mayor’s staff. 

Labador and Rosmar confronted Trinidad, who accused them through a Facebook comment of exploiting the people of Coron for their vlog under the guise of organizing to "assist" the locals in giving grocery packages and supposedly boosting tourism in the area.

It should be noted, however, that Trinidad posted the comment through her personal Facebook account and not through the local government unit’s official website.

In videos circulating on social media, Labador was seen shouting and pointing fingers at Trinidad, who remained calm in her response. 

Eventually, the two personalities convinced Trinidad to issue a public apology, which was also captured on video.

In another Facebook post, the Coron’s Mayor’s Office said that Reyes ordered an investigation into the incident.

“Binigyang-diin ng Punong Bayan na hindi siya nasiyahan sa naganap na insidente sa kanyang opisina lalo na’t wala siya sa lugar ng mga oras na iyon,” the mayor’s office statement read.

(The Mayor emphasized that he was not pleased with the incident that occurred in his office, especially since he was not present at the time.)

“Inatasan niya ang nasabing departamento na ikalap ang lahat ng mga dokumento, opisyal na mga reklamo at mga viral videos para sa mga susunod na hakbangin at aksyon na gagawin,” it added. 

(He instructed the said department to gather all documents, official complaints, and viral videos for the next steps and actions to be taken.)