Nothing wrong with Parlade as NTF ELCAC spox: Lorenzana

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 11, 2021): Nothing wrong with Parlade as NTF ELCAC spox: Lorenzana (By Priam Nepomuceno)

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (left) and Southern Luzon Command chief, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., (right) (File photos)

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday came to the defense of Southern Luzon Command chief, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., after senators called for his removal as spokesperson of the government's anti-insurgency task force.

In a Laging Handa briefing, Lorenzana said the military and the police are obliged to take the lead in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) which was created by President Rodrigo R. Duterte's Executive 70 calling for a whole-of-nation approach in defeating the security threat posed by the local communist terrorist groups and their allies.

"The main effort is being led by the PNP and the AFP, and Gen. Parlade is part of the AFP and so his expertise is being utilized as spokesman of the NTF ELCAC so ang, wala akong nakikitang (I don't see any) violation of the Constitution," Lorenzana said.

This came after lawmakers from the upper chamber called for Parlade's removal from the post, citing that his designation violates the Constitution which states that no member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in active service shall be appointed at any time to a civilian post in the government.

He also added that the security forces are the primary implementers of NTF ELCAC, with other government agencies only in a supporting role.

"So kami ang nandyan (we are involved there), kung tanggalin mo yan si Gen. Parlade ay tanggalin mo na rin kami dyan sa (NTF ELCAC), yung Armed Forces. Ibig sabihin yung Armed Forces walang pakialam dyan sa NTF ELCAC (if you remove Gen. Parlade from the NTF ELCAC, then remove us too. It only means the Armed Forces does not have anything to do with the NTF ELCAC), which is not true," Lorenzana said.

Parlade assumed his role much like the leading role of the military and police in task forces created to pursue terrorists and criminals, Lorenzana added.

"We are the ones who implement the main function of the task force. Other agencies are only supporting us, the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), lahat na (all of them), DOE (Department of Energy), DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), support lang yan sa (they are just supporting the) main effort," he said.

Up to Lorenzana

Malacañang on Thursday said it will leave to Lorenzana to decide on calls to remove or relieve Parlade.

“Hinahayaan na po natin yung desisyon na ‘yan kay Secretary Lorenzana ng Department of National Defense (We leave the decision to Secretary Lorenzana of the Department of National Defense),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing in Dumaguete City.

Earlier, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said Parlade may stay as NTF-ELCAC spokesperson, insisting that the AFP is an "integral part" of the said task force.

"We support Parlade's statements and there's no way we have to overrule such pronouncements," he said.

He, however, admitted that the NTF-ELCAC has a civilian component.

In its amended committee report, the Senate said the designation of Parlade is a violation of the constitution.

Article 16, Section 5, Paragraph 4 of the Constitution states that “no member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in active service shall at any time be appointed or designated in any capacity to a civilian position in the government.”

“Consistent with the aforementioned constitutional provision and as a matter of policy, we recommend that Lt. Gen. Parlade be immediately relieved of his duties as spokesperson of the NTF-Elcac,” the amendment read.

It also emphasized the need to prevent “potential conflict” between the policies of the NTF-ELCAC and the mandate of the security sector by engaging a spokesperson who does not hold concurrent mandates in the security forces.

Sobejana said he already talked to Parlade on the red-tagging issue.

“I called the attention of General Parlade. I told him that we should be very deliberate with all the things that we do, may it be in speech or in words, and we should exercise due diligence,” he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1133282