"We will not stoop to his level."
Senator Joel Villanueva had this to say Friday, April 23, after Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade, Jr. called lawmakers "stupid" for pushing to defund the government's anti-insurgency task force over its red-tagging and profiling of community pantry volunteers.
"We'll not stoop down to this level of pettiness. Name-calling will not put food on anyone's table," he said on Twitter.
The Senate, he said, has the responsibility to ensure that government funds -- the peoples' money -- are being spent for public interest.
Villanueva pitched for the defundng of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), after Parlade, its spokesperson, likened Ana Patricia Non to "Satan's apple", in an attempt to justify their claim that organizers of community pantries are linked to communist rebels.
It was Non who initiated the Maginhawa Community Pantry in Quezon City, which inspired several similar donation-driven efforts across the Philippines.
Over 300 community pantries have sprouted in various regions of the country.
The joy of giving: Community pantries continue to sprout all over NCR… "Sa Senado ka magpaliwanag (Explain yourself to the Senate)," he told Parlade on Friday.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also called Parlade “disrespectful” for his remarks against the senators.
"It’s really disrespectful to say the least if Parlade said that we are stupid for passing this (the NTF-ELCAC budget)," Drilon said in an interview with cable news channel One News.
In his statement, he also described the controversial military official "foul-mouthed".
Drilon said Parlade must step down from his post in the NTF-ELCAC due to constitutional issues that hang over his appointment.
The 1987 Constitution prohibits active members of the military to assume a civilian post in government.
“A first-year law student will tell you a cardinal rule in the Constitution that those who are in the active military service are prohibited from occupying civilian positions. That violates the Constitution. He is illegally occupying his position as the task force’s spokesperson. It is one of thy disappointments. Hindi na pinapakinggan ang Senado (They refuse to listen to the Senate),” explained Drilon, a former justice secretary, said.
“Given the fact that his holding of his position is constitutionally doubtful, why doesn't he step down to save everybody from agony?” he added.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also echoed his colleagues' statements, saying Parlade is already affecting the image of the government's anti-insurgency task force.
"Wala tiwala ang taong bayan sa pamumuno ng NTF dahil sa kanilang mga pahayag at pananalita. Masasayang ang pera ng taong bayan kung ganyan lang ang mga taong nandiyan (The people have lost their trust in the NTF-ELCAC because of their statements. The people's money are only going to waste if those officials remain in the task force)," he also tweeted.
The NTF-ELCAC was given by Congress a ₱19-billion budget for 2021, ₱16.4 billion of which to be spent for its "development programs" for barangays (villages) cleared of communist insurgency.
On Thursday, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the NTF-ELCAC should just replace its officials instead of having the task force defunded for its red-tagging activities. Parlade likens community pantry to Satan's apple