FILE PHOTOS–Senator Panfilo Lacson (L) and Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson was puzzled as to why Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. seems to be “so indispensable” that the government’s anti-insurgency task force is willing to risk earning the ire of senators for keeping him in his post.
“Hindi ba pwedeng out of courtesy sa Senate na pagbigyan na lang nila? Why is [Lt.] Gen. Parlade so indispensable that they would risk getting the ire of so many senators in retaining him?” Lacson said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel Tuesday.
“Ano ba ito? Parang arrogance na lang ito, arrogance of power na ‘Ipakita namin sa Senate na hindi niyo kami kaya’?” he added.
The Senate has already recommended Parlade’s immediate removal from his position as the spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Eclac), citing a provision of the 1987 Constitution which prohibits active military officers to hold a civilian post.
“There’s no point arguing with people who don’t listen to reason and much less yung wala nang adherence sa rule of law,” Lacson said.
“The Senate has spoken as a collegial body, collective position namin and legal position namin is that Parlade designation as spokesperson of a civilian entity, which is the NTF-Elcac, is in violation of the Constitution,” he added.
“We can argue until we turn black and blue. Pero we won’t end up agreeing on this,” he further said.
Instead of heeding to the repeated calls of senators to immediately remove Parlade from his post due to constitutional issues, the NTF-Elcac designated six additional spokespersons to the task force.
“They have maintained [Parlade] and even added more spokespersons that’s their prerogative. Ang issue lang namin, is yung kay Parlade because he is an active military officer,” Lacson went on.
“Hinihingi ko lang naman sakanila, follow the Constitution,” he added.
Earlier, Lacson said he received assurance that Parlade will be relieved from his post before the latter retires on July 26.
However, the senator maintained that the military official should be removed as NTF-Elcac spokesperson immediately.
If they insist on having Parlade in the task force, they could just relieve him now and rehire him after he retires so that there would no longer be any constitutional issues, according to Lacson.