Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 11) — Southern Luzon Command chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade is undaunted by a Senate panel recommendation to kick him out as spokesman of the government’s anti-communist task force, claiming he actually favors the plan.
“It’s just a recommendation from the Senate, that’s fine with me. It’s a welcome move actually because I’m performing dual hats as SolCom commander and NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict),” he told CNN Philippines on Thursday.
Despite his nonchalance, Parlade insisted there is no conflict of interest should he keep his top post in the Armed Forces and the NTF-ELCAC.
“I know the delineation of my job as spokesperson of the NTF-ELCAC. When it’s not NTF-ELCAC, I don’t speak about it,” he said. “I understand my job, so what’s the problem with that?”
He said there are at least 50 other active military officials who are also part of the task force, explaining that NTF-ELCAC is an ad hoc body that is not even a government agency nor a civilian task force as claimed by Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation chairman Senator Panfilo Lacson. He said it is a convergence of all government agencies handling the communist insurgency.
The Senate panel on Wednesday adopted a committee report recommending the removal of Parlade in the task force because it is illegal for an active military officer to hold another office. This was introduced as an amendment to the Senate National Defense and Security Committee’s report after conducting an inquiry on the issues raised against the Duterte administration’s incessant red-tagging.
The panel said Parlade is violating Article 16, Sec. 5 (4) of the 1987 Constitution, which provides: “No member of the Armed Forces in the active service shall, at any time, be appointed or designated in any capacity to a civilian position in the government, including the government owned or controlled corporations or any of their subsidiaries.”
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is a member of the task group, is backing Parlade. He said the NTF-ELCAC is composed of military and police officers, so if the same principles apply, they should all be removed from the controversial task force.
“Kung tanggalin mo si Gen. Parlade ay tanggalin mo na rin kami dyan,” he said in a media briefing. “Wala akong nakikitang violation of the Constitution.”
[Translation: If you remove him, you should remove all of us. I don’t see any violation of the Constitution.]
He argued the anti-communist task force is utilizing and benefiting from Parlade’s “expertise.”
Parlade has red-tagged several human rights groups and even famous personalities like Catriona Gray, Liza Soberano, and Angel Locsin, whom he accused of supporting communist rebels. He repeatedly denied this in his interview with CNN Philippines.
