Andronico Del Rosario
The name Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. continues to trend on social media as he now goes up against another tough-talking government official.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook Page, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla called out National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. for “threatening progressive and outspoken women who want to encourage a stronger feminist culture.”
(M) GCQ S8 E5. “RED”
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster … And treat those two impostors just the same; If you…
Posted by Jonvic Remulla on Sunday, October 25, 2020
“Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade should be ashamed of himself… Kahit si Yorme (Manila Mayor Isko Moreno) na nagtanggal lang ng mga posters ay tinagurian agad na sympathizer.”
The statement comes after a speaker from the NTF-ELCAC allegedly called several student organizations and activitsts as sympathizers of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) during a webinar organized by the Cavite State University (CvSU) held last October 24.
The webinar was held for college freshmen as part of their National Service Training Program (NSTP) orientation.
These progressive organizations, said to be members of the National Democratic Front (NDF), were said to have been recruiting students from CvSU to join the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the CPP.
Remulla also dared Parlade and the NTF-ELCAC to label him as a sympathizer. “Brand me a communist if you will, but it is my sworn duty to defend Cavite’s record in holding insurgency at bay,” a fact he doubled down on when he cited how Cavite was the first province declared as “Insurgency Free” by the Philippine military as early as 2010.
Parlade: I do not know everything the NTF-ELCAC does
Parlade, however, refuted Remulla’s statement.
In an interview with ANC, Parlade said he was merely accused of ordering NTF-ELCAC personnel to put up tarpaulins declaring members of the CPP-NPA-NDF as persona non grata.
"Why accuse me?" Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. denied that he ordered to put anti-communist tarpaulins in different cities and instructed Metro Manila mayors to declare CPP-NPA as a terror group and “persona non grata”. pic.twitter.com/gzTCc9kYtl
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) October 26, 2020
“Who am I to put those tarps? I’m just a spokesperson of the NTF-ELCAC. Incidentally, I’m also the commander of the Southern Luzon Command, stationed in Cavite,” Parlade said in the interview.
He clapped back at Remulla, asking why he never bothered to call and instead posted his sentiments on Facebook. Parlade would also answer Remulla’s threat to have any NTF-ELCAC posters removed from his city.
“I’ll make sure my name and office logo is there kung ako man ang magpapalagay ng tarp diyan. I will also advise LGUs why we are putting up tarps there and why it is for a good purpose.”
This stems from reports saying he either warned or threatened Manila Mayor Isko Moreno with sympathizing with communists after Yorme ordered the removal of posters declaring the CPP-NPA-NDF as persona non grata in his city.
“I am correct in saying Metro Manila is late in putting them up just now. 101 cities nationwide have already put up those tarps and declared this CPP-NPA-NDF as persona non grata,” he said during the interview.
He did, however, double down in saying he did not know who ordered those posters to be put up, despite being the spokesperson for the agency tasked with leading the country’s counter-insurgency efforts on a local level.
“I don’t know everything that the NTF-ELCAC does. It is not within my power to order LGUs to put up tarpaulins,” he said.
He added that he never threatened nor warned Moreno against removing the tarps, saying Moreno has been fed with wrong information. He also says he applauds Moreno’s efforts in removing said posters from his city.
These exchanges between the NTF-ELCAC mouthpiece and local government officials come hot on the heels of Parlade branding Kapamilya actress Angel Locsin, her uncle Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, and her sister Ella Colmenares as members of the NPA.
He would also throw in the names of another Kapamilya actress and a former Miss Universe into the mix: Liza Soberano and Catriona Gray, both of whom support causes led by Gabriela, an alleged member of the NDF, CPP’s political wing.
Parlade would be reprimanded by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana after hearing news of Parlade’s actions.
