Senator Panfilo M. Lacson strongly advised a ranking Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officer to stop talking about terrorism.
(SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
‘’If Lt. General Antonio Parlade wants to help enlighten the magistrates (Supreme Court justices) as he claims, he can do it better by not talking about terrorism,’’ Lacson, chairman of the Senate national defense and security committee, said.
The Supreme is at present hearing oral arguments for, or against the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Lacson is the principal sponsor of the Senate version of the ATA.
In his press statement, Lacson said:
‘’Something is very wrong with Lt. Gen. Parlade’s mindset. On its face, his statement clearly implying that a journalist “was aiding the terrorists” is careless and insensitive. I do not know how else any literate person can interpret that.
That said, I couldn’t care less what else comes out of his mouth, nor do I have anything to do with his quarrel with Ms. Tetch Torres-Tupas. My primary concern is the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 which I and my staff, as well as my fellow senators worked extra hard to afford the state an effective legal tool against terrorism while ensuring that the Bill of Rights is protected, especially that the law is now facing some serious challenges before the Supreme Court.’’
Parlade is spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which got at least P16 billion in funding from the national government.