Hontiveros asks Parlade: Should you be afraid of CA confirmation?

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros asked Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr., chief of the Southern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) if he is afraid to face the Commission on Appointments (CA) anew in January after the military official released controversial remarks against celebrities including actress Liza Soberano.

“Tignan natin, pero hindi pananakot ang pagharap ng matataas na opisyal na gobyerno at militar sa Commission on Appointments. In fact, ang laging opening statement nila, opening statement din ni Gen. Parlade, recently humarap sila, ay sila ay pumapailalim ng pagkopirma sa CA dahil sa prinsipyo ng civilian supremacy over the military,” Hontiveros said over DWIZ, reacting to Parlade’s remark on the alleged use of the CA appointment to threaten him.

(Let us see but facing the CA is not a threat. In fact, their opening statements is also the opening statement of General Parlade, they recently faced the CA and they said they are under the confirmation of CA because of the principle of civilian supremacy over the military.)

“So pananakot ba iyan? Well, siguro kung mayroon siyang dapat ikatakot, matatakot ang isang opisyal,”

(So is that a threat? Well, if there is something that he should be afraid of, then it is natural that the official will be afraid.)

Parlade, who faced the CA last August, told Hontiveros in a television interview that he should not be threatened by the CA confirmation as he has no interest becoming the next Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff.

But the opposition senator cautioned Parlade and other military officials that they will be monitored, and will face the CA in January next year.

“Basta sa akin haharap ulit si Gen. Parlade sa CA ,sa Enero pa, so mula ngayon hanggang ngayon, i-mo-monitor natin sila,” Hontiveros said.

(For me, Gen. Parlade will face the CA again in January so from now on, we will monitor them.)

Hontiveros also criticized Parlade for his failure to apologize to Soberano, saying Parlade also showed his failure of becoming a “gentleman.”

“Nakikita natin na i-ne-educate niya lang niya sina Liza Soberano, na may pagkacondescending iyong kanyang ugali. Iyong hindi paghingi ng paumanhin kahit malinaw sa napakaraming kapwa tao na mali ang kanilang ginawa, well iyan ang pagiging tanda na hindi gentleman, na hindi kayang tanggapin na nagkamali o gumawa ng mali at manghingi ng pagdispensa,” the senator said in response to Parlade’s failure to apologize for his remarks against the actresses.

Parlade who is also a member of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), previously appealed to Soberano’s critics to stop red-tagging her – or labeling someone as sympathetic to the local communist movement – for joining an online seminar hosted by Gabriela.

Without any evidence yet, Parlade also accused Gabriela as “part of the terrorist organization.”

Amid the criticisms against Parlade, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana cautioned security officials to “keep quiet” if they have no evidence against any person.

/MUF