Lorenzana rejects Senate call to remove general as NTF-ELCAC spokesperson
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday rejected a call from the Senate to remove a general as spokesperson of the government's anti-communist task force.
The Senate is questioning Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.'s designation as spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict while being an active member of the military.
An amendment to the commitee report on red-tagging that the Senate approved states that Parlade's appointment violates Section 5, Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution, which stipulates that "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."
But Lorenzana, a retired military general himself, said: "I see no violation of the Constitution." He said senators are only complicating the issue by calling for Parlade's dismissal.
Parlade's designation as task force spokesperson has given rise to a situation where he cannot be disciplined for his actions by the Armed Forces of the Philippines' leadership.
Malacañang in a separate briefing later Thursday said it is up to Lorenzana to decide on whether to adopt the Senate's recommendation.
"If you remove General Parlade, then remove the armed forces from the task force as well. This would mean that the armed forces have nothing to do with the NTF-ELCAC, which is not true," Lorenzana said in Filipino.
He did not address, however, the issue that the NTF-ELCAC "is a civilian task force and not a military task force," as noted on Wednesday night by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the Senate panel on defense.
AFP: 'No way' to overrule Parlade's statements as NTF-ELCAC spokesperson
Lacson raised this same concern with the Armed Forces of the Philippines during a Commission on Appointments hearing held Wednesday, but Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, AFP chief, said he views the NTF-ELCAC as "not purely" a civilian entity because President Rodrigo Duterte, the commander-in-chief, sits as its chairman.
"But it's still a civilian office," Lacson said, noting that Duterte and its vice-chairman, National Security Adviser Heregones Esperon, a retired general, are civilians.
Compounding the questions of legality that surround Parlade's appointment is the fact that his superiors in the military seem unable or unwilling to hold him accountable for dangerous accusations he has made against individuals and groups in his capacity as NTF-ELCAC spokesman.
"Per my verifications, all the statements of Gen. Parlade were authorized by the communication committee of the task force so we support his statements," Sobejana told senators in a mix of English and Filipino.
"There's no way that we have to overrule such pronouncements."
— Bella Perez-Rubio
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