(FILE PHOTO) Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. Photo by (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — “We’ll not stoop down to this level of pettiness. Name-calling will not put food on anyone’s table.”
Senator Joel Villanueva has this to say on Friday after National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. said senators would be “stupid” if they will defund the task force.
“Responsibilidad ng Senado na siguruhing ang pera ng taumbayan ay ginagamit para sa interes ng taumbayan. Sa Senado ka magpaliwanag,” Villanueva said in a tweet.
(The Senate has the responsibility to assure that the money of the public is being used for their interest. Explain yourself in the Senate.)
We'll not stoop down to this level of pettiness. Name-calling will not put food on anyone's table. Responsibilidad ng Senado na siguruhing ang pera ng taumbayan ay ginagamit para sa interes ng taumbayan. Sa Senado ka magpaliwanag.
— Joel Villanueva (@senatorjoelv) April 22, 2021
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian agrees with Villanueva.
“Wala ng 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,” Gatchalian said in his reply to his colleague’s tweet.
(The people no longer have trust in the leadership of the NTF because of their statements. The money from the public will be wasted if people in the task force are like that.)
In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Villanueva confirmed that he was reacting to the remark of Parlade in a television interview that senators would be “stupid” if they would defund the task force since they are the ones who have approved its budget.
At least six senators, including Villanueva, Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Nancy Binay, Franklin Drilon, and Grace Poe earlier floated the need to withdraw funding for the NTF and reallocate its current P19-billion budget to assist those affected by the pandemic.
The senators aired the sentiment amid controversies hounding the task force over the red-tagging of community pantries that sprouted across the country.
Parlade, however, told senators not to “drag” the entire NTF-ELCAC if they have a problem with his position at the anti-insurgency task force.