SENATOR Franklin Drilon is seeking the Senate’s censure of General Antonio Parlade Jr. who serves as spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
The Ilonggo senator announced his intent to file a resolution calling for sanctions after General Parlade branded some senators “stupid” for threatening to torpedo the P19-billion NTF-ELCAC funding in the aftermath of the latter’s “profiling” and “red-tagging” activities against community pantry organizers.
Drilon had earlier joined the call made by his colleagues to realign the NTF-ELCAC’s P19-billion budget to social amelioration programs. He said this is in accordance with law because congress wields the power of the purse.
“We are not stupid for calling for a realignment of their fund. We are not stupid for proposing to defund NTF-ELCAC because it is within the power of Congress to allocate funds,” Drilon added.
Interestingly, the hashtag “#stupidsiDrilon” became viral in social media right after Drilon called for the realignment of the NTF-ELCAC fund. Government supporters have trained their guns on Drilon who had earlier questioned the legality of a military personnel occupying a civilian position, in violation of the constitutional provision requiring civilian supremacy over the military.
This concerted social media pushback came after the National Security Council gagged Parlade against further speaking on the alleged communist links of community pantries. NSC head honcho Hermogenes Esperon Jr. has also gagged communications undersecretary Lorraine Badoy.
“General Parlade’s arrogance showed his lack of respect to senators and the institution of the Senate. The Senate should censure him,” Drilon insists.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson has joined the fray, saying that the spokespersons have done more harm than good to the agency. “Nauuna ang bibig niya sa kanyang ginagawa. Yan ang danger, kasi nakakagulo na. Instead of helping, his loose lips threaten to drag the NTF-ELCAC into the mess,” he said.
“There is a consensus among senators in the minority and majority to send a message to the defense establishment that cooperation is a two-way street. They cannot just keep asking without giving back,” Lacson warned.
Parlade is not denying that he is associating with communists those who take a position against government. He has lumped the communists with those who have taken a stand against the anti-terror law. It does not matter whether you come from the ranks of nuns, lawyers, or even from the urban poor, for as long as your sentiments align with the communist party.
This is the same guilt by association that they employ pertaining to the continued exploitation by the Chinese of natural resources in the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Based on the evidence submitted by the Philippines, as affirmed by the arbitral tribunal, foreign poachers and Chinese construction and land reclamation entities continue to cause massive environmental damage in Philippine waters and the Philippine EEZ. They destroyed coral reefs, harvested endangered species, engaged in illegal fishing, and built artificial islands.
The extent of the environmental damage in these areas is documented in reports made by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and other government agencies. The military is legally bound to uphold these findings.
Since he is employed by the military, Parlade is duty bound to uphold the law, such as Republic Act No. 8550, otherwise known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, which was enacted to stop, prevent and prosecute the perpetrators of these illegal acts.
As of this writing, more senators are aligning to condemn the continued occupation of the EEZ. Will Parlade’s scalp be the ultimate prize?/PN
