Senators want to censure Red-tagging Manila general
MANILA: Fiteen senators have crossed party line and signed a resolution reprimanding a controversial Red-tagging military general who called them “stupid” in response to their threat to withdraw funding from a government antiinsurgency task force.
Senate President Vicente Soto led his peers in signing the resolution that castigated Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade, the spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for his “disrespecful and demeaning statements” against them.
In signing, Soto and his colleagues manifested their desire to be the co-authors of the resolution filed by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon who said Parlade’s statement betrayed his misunderstanding of the Senate’s mandate and his own duties as a military officer.
“Instead of engaging in a constructive debate... Parlade has chosen to demean and disparage the senators, through statements that display his limited grasp of Congress’ role in the budget process and show his lack of respect not just for the senators as duly elected representatives of the people but also the Senate as an institution,” the stongly-worded resolution read.
The resolution also defended the rise of community or village pantries to provide food and other essential items especially to the poor amid the coronavirus ( COVID 19) pandemic.
Parlade earlier admited that they subjected Ana Patricia Non who started the movement for her possible link to communist rebels.
It pointed out: “Contrary to assertions of Parlade, progressive thinking is not communism and expression of opinions or criticisms and purposeful involvement in humanitarian community efforts do not constitute rebellion, sedition or treason.”
The resolution also questioned Parlade’s stay at the NTF-ELCAC despite the Senate adoption of a commitee report that recommended his immediate relief as it cited a possible violation of the Constitution that bans a senior military officer from acting as the spokesman of a civilian agency.