Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy and Army Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. (INQURIER.net file photos)
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday said it supports the gag order on the country’s counter-insurgency task force’s spokespersons, reminding all public officials to be more circumspect in their public statements.
“Opo,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing when asked if Malacañang supports National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr.’s gag order to National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s (NTF-Elcac) spokespersons Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy and Army Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.
“Hinihingi natin sa lahat ng opisyales na maging mas maingat at mas maging malalim sa kanilang mga sinasabi, kinakailangan mas malawak ang kanilang pananaw,” he continued.
(We are asking officials to be more careful with their public statements. They have to have a wider point of view.)
The gag order came after Badoy and Parlade “red-tagged” Ana Patricia Non, the woman behind the Maginhawa Community Pantry, as well as other organizers of community pantries.
READ: Gag order aims to stress that Parlade, Badoy not against ‘bayanihan’ – Esperon
They accused Non and other community pantry organizers of being members of purported legal front-organizations of the communist movement, and that their community pantries were being used for propaganda.
READ: Netizens call out cops for ‘profiling’ community pantry organizers
Such remarks have prompted several lawmakers to call for the defunding of the task force.