COTABATO CITY — The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Cotabato has declared Ministry of Trade, Investments, and Tourism-BARMM (MTIT) Director General Rosslaini Alonto-Sinarimbo as persona non grata following an alleged incident involving Mayor Mohammad Ali Bruce Matabalao during the Tourism Summit held on September 16 at KCC Convention Center.
In a joint resolution authored by Councilor Bai Shalimar Candao, chairperson of the Committee on Tourism, the city council cited the supposed “unacceptable conduct” of Sinarimbo towards the city mayor.
During the session, Mayor Matabalao personally recounted the incident, claiming that Sinarimbo repeatedly stepped on his foot and scolded him for arriving late at the event. The mayor added that Sinarimbo accused him of disrupting the itinerary of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, who was among the summit’s special guests.
Matabalao clarified that based on the itinerary provided to him, Secretary Frasco was scheduled to visit City Hall before proceeding to the summit venue. He also narrated that during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, he attempted to shake hands with Sinarimbo. Instead, the latter allegedly tapped his hand and told him, “Ikaw ha, nang dahil sayo umalis tuloy si Sec. Frasco, hindi na niya tinapos ang program dahil kinuha mo siya sa City Hall.”
For the city council, the incident was considered a breach of protocol and a blatant disrespect to the mayor and the institution of local governance.
“The act showed a lack of respect not only to the person of the mayor but also to the office he represents,” the resolution stated.
The resolution declaring Sinarimbo persona non grata was immediately adopted by the majority of council members.
As of this writing, Director General Sinarimbo has yet to issue a statement regarding the controversy.