Senate endorses Parlade’s axing as spox of anti-insurgency task force

By Jelo Ritzhie Mantaring

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The Senate endorsed on March 10 the removal of Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. as the spokesperson of the anti-insurgency task force of the Duterte administration.

This recommendation was proposed in the Senate’s Committee Report 186 which was filed on Feb. 22. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chair of the Senate committee on national defense and security, sponsored the report.

It consists of reports on the red-tagging of various personalities, celebrities, institutions, and organizations. This was one of the current agendas of the Senate after conducting an inquiry on the raised issues of “red-tagging” of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

During the session on March 10, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon cited Article 16, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution, which states, "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 government-owned or controlled corporations or any of their subsidiaries."

This constitutional provision was also cited in the amendment of the report. Drilon first raised the unconstitutionality of Parlade’s designation in the session last March 3.

Aside from being the NTF-ELCAC spokesperson, Parlade is the chief of Southern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), one of the military’s key officers against the insurgency.

“We should prevent the potential conflict between the politics of NTF-ELCAC and the mandate of the security sector by engaging a spokesperson who does not hold concurrent mandates in the security forces,” according to the amendment.

During the session, Lacson stressed that the NTF-ELCAC is a civilian task force. In Rappler’s article, it was mentioned that he earlier said that the appointment in a civilian task force of Parlade could be illegal.

"The NTF-ELCAC is not a military task force, it is a civilian task force precisely tasked or mandated to attend some development projects in cleared barangays – meaning cleared of insurgents," Lacson said as quoted by Rappler.

The committee of Lacson had an initial conclusion to not criminalize red-tagging since there were enough laws to protect the public from such acts.

However, Lacson agreed in the March 9 session for further discussion regarding the issue when Drilon nudged it.

“That is why we expressed appreciation to Senator Lacson when he accepted that we should not close the issue by saying that Red-tagging should not be criminalized,” Drilon said in the article of Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Earlier, the Senate has observed that Parlade is “damaging” to Duterte’s anti-insurgency campaign as well as the AFP because of his “undue public propaganda.” Parlade has been red-tagging government critics in his Facebook account.

In a Rappler article, it was listed that Parlade has red-tagged: Tetch Torres-Tupas of Inquirer.net over a report on two Aetas charged with terrorism; Liza Soberano after joining an online activity by Gabriela Youth, and both Angel Locsin and Catriona Gray for being advocates and supporters of human rights groups.

“This unnecessary public propaganda proves to be counterproductive and damaging to the organizational integrity of both the NTF-ELCAC and the AFP,” the Senate defense committee report noted.

“While the AFP is the protector of the people and the State, naming individuals and groups as part of the armed struggle waged by the CPP is inconsistent with and not part of this whole-of-nation approach to counterinsurgency,” the report also read.

Support for Parlade

In a report by the Philippine News Agency (PNA), the NTF-ELCAC has expressed its support through one of its spokespersons, Lorraine Badoy, and rejected the calls for Parlade’s removal.

Badoy, an undersecretary in the Presidential Communications Operations Office, said that Lacson is wrong about the NTF-ELCAC being a civilian task force, adding that military members are “only fitting” to “carry the burden of the more than 50 years insurgency” to be part of neutralizing “communist terrorists.”

She also proceeded to proclaim that Parlade is a “shining light” and a “living hero” in the fight against insurgency. Badoy is also known for her red-tagging of journalists and media organizations, and continuous posting of false information on her Facebook page.

Also, Undersecretary Joel M. Sy Egco, executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, uttered that Parlade speaks for himself, the office he represents, and all freedom and peace-loving Filipinos, as mentioned by the PNA.

“Most importantly, General Parlade speaks for every Juan and Juana he swore to protect at the cost of his life when he embraced the profession of arms,” he said according to the PNA. “As a true soldier, a patriot, a father, a son, and true defender of our democracy.”

Parlade’s reaction

Parlade was actually in favor of the plan saying to CNN Philippines, “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, however, asserted that there was no conflict of interest. According to the article of CNN Philippines, Parlade said there are at least 50 other active military officials in the task force since it is “a convergence of all government agencies handling the communist insurgency.”

"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 as quoted by CNN Philippines. "I understand my job, so what's the problem with that?"

Nevertheless, Parlade said he would feel relieved if he were removed as spokesperson of NTF-ELCAC, also noting that he has been asking for it since January last year. His “deep knowledge” of communist rebel operations however was needed by NTF-ELCAC, that’s why the body would not let him go.