Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año stressed Wednesday that Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. should not be given a gag order despite the controversies sparked by his declarations linking some celebrities to rebel groups.
(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Explaining his stand, Año in an interview over ANC described Parlade as “one of the best" military officers.
However, Año advised Parlade to substantiate his claims with pieces of evidence.
"General Parlade is one of the best officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). I will just caution him to go to factual details so it would stand,’’ Año said.
He noted that Parlade should not make generalization without any “evidence in the bar of opinion or in the court.’’
“Kailangan talaga diyan may pinanghahawakan kang ebidensya (There is also an urgent need (for him” to back his claim with evidence,’’ said Año.
The DILG chief insisted that “giving a gag order to General Parlade is not fair also because he's a very effective communicator and very good AFP officer.’’
Aside from being the Southern Luzon Command (SolCom) commander, Parlade is also the spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Parlade received criticisms for warning actress Liza Soberano against keeping ties with Gabriela Women's Party, which the military claims is a front organization of communist rebels.
In the midst of the controversy, Parlade has denied “red-tagging’’ the actress but noted that Soberano, who participated in a webinar organized by Gabriela, is being “exploited’’ by the group.
Earlier, Año said he believed that Soberano, as well as Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and actress Angel Locsin, are not linked to the communist groups.
“They must be respected and protected. I do not believe that they are in any way part of the New People’s Army of the Communist Party of the Philippines,’’ he added.
Año emphasized that military officers could not be stopped from expressing their concerns against the communist insurgency with the task to eradicate communist rebels before President Duterte's term ends in 2022.
He added that military men voicing their sentiments is part of the “healthy debate in the democratic space.’’
“You cannot really avoid these healthy debates in the public. Nakita ko 'yung mga expressions at mga manifestations ng ating mga lawyers (I saw the expressions and manifestations of the lawyers), this is a part of a healthy debate in the democratic space,’’ Año said.