Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. has evidence that the two Aetas who filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) to declare as unconstitutional the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 were not tortured by the military, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana revealed Monday as he defended the former's recent outburst against a journalist on social media.

"He is very sure, according to him, that he has evidence to prove his allegation. That this... that the report on Aeta torture is not true, is incorrect," Lorenzana said in a television interview over CNN Philippines.

Lorenzana said Parlade assured him last week  that he is ready to present the proof during the SC's deliberation on the petitions against the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 this week. 

This, after retired SC Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales filed a manifestation before the SC to take note of the military official's alleged threat towards the journalist.

"He told me 'Sir, I have proof. I won't talk if I have no evidence and we are going to show this during the hearing at the Supreme Court,'" said Lorenzana.

Last week, Parlade blasted a lady journalist on social media after the latter wrote a petition filed by two Aetas, Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos, questioning the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act. 

Gurung and Ramos were the first to be accused of violating the law after it was passed in July 2020 but they claimed they were tortured and forced by the military to admit being members of the New People's Army (NPA).

Parlade, the commander of Southern Luzon Command and spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), accused the journalist who wrote the petition of "aiding the terrorists" and threatened to file a case against her for allegedly writing false reports about the Aetas' alleged torture.

Although Lorenzana said Parlade might have "overstepped" in his reaction, he noted that he understood the reaction of the military official since he was "very passionate" about his campaign to end communist insurgency.

"I understand where General Parlade is coming from. He has been fighting the insurgency for all of his life as a military man and everyone of us here in the Defense department, the AFP and even the PNP and the DILG want to stop this insurgency once and for all," he said.

The Defense Chief said he directed new AFP Chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana to conduct an inquiry on Parlade's remarks to determine if he violated any policy of the military.

But as the clamor for Parlade's firing grows, Lorenzana said he cannot do it since only the Commander-in-Chief, President Duterte, has the authority to remove an appointed military official.