Not even SC reso safe from lies of Reds-linked groups: Parlade

FILE: Major Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr., of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. (PNA Photo)

MANILA — Just pure propaganda and deceit.

This was how Major Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr., of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC), called the latest spin of groups, with known ties to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), regarding the May 28 Supreme Court (SC) resolution on the writs of amparo and habeas data these groups filed against government officials on alleged red-tagging claims.

He also called out some members of the media for swallowing hook, line and sinker the lies of leftist groups led by Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.

“What the SC issued was not a (temporary) protection order in favor of the petitioners but only a directive for respondents to answer by way of return pursuant to the Rule of Writ of Amparo and (habeas) Data. which in the words of SOJ (Secretary of Justice Menardo) Guevarra, an SOP (standard operating procedure) for respondents to be heard vis-a-vis petitioners’ baseless claim?” Parlade said in a statement Friday.

“What made the claims of Palabay and her group more irritating are the allegation that “the court has seen the merit of our petition, and we see this as an acknowledgment of the perilous environment that human rights defenders work in,” he said.

On Tuesday, the SC granted the petitions of the two progressive groups along with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and ordered respondents to submit a verified return of the writ of amparo and habeas data before the Court of Appeals (CA) on or before June 13 and to comment on the petition.

The SC resolution also directed the appellate court to hear the petition by June 18 and resolve the case based on the merits within 10 days.

“Really? That’s how you see it? How lowly can you be to interpret the clear resolution of the SC that way? And that’s how your media supports your twisted perspective? No, it is called propaganda and deceit, pure and simple. That’s how your minds have been programmed through those years that you have kept a close-minded view of your fake human rights, or rather pure human left’s advocacies,” said Parlade, who is also Armed Forces of the Philippine Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Civil-Military Operations.

He added that to add insult to injury, Palabay and her cohorts have the temerity to allegedly state that the “the issuance of the writ was not yet final”, as if to insinuate that there was a decision by the SC which is unfavorable to the respondents.

Named as respondents in the militants’ petitions were President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff Benjamin Madrigal and 10 others officials, including Parlade.

“One need not be a lawyer to understand the SC’s directive especially the rules on writs of amparo and (habeas) data are simply worded and short that can be easily discernible even by a layman. To reiterate, DOJ (Department of Justice) Secretary Guevarra said it already that it is SOP, just a matter of course, to be issued by SC.

“It’s simply an order for the respondents to comment. None has been ruled about on the merits of the case, that is precisely why the SC remanded it to the CA for a hearing on the merits of the petition. How difficult is that to comprehend?” the NTF ELCAC official pointed out.

Despite baseless accusations and charges against the government, Parlade said the Duterte administration never contemplated on harassing these leftist groups despite their ties to the communist rebels.

“Did the government harass you for calling spade a spade? Did we hurt you? Then why are you still on the streets enjoying the freedom your democracy has given you?” Parlade said.

Due to fear of discovery of their illegal and violent activities to the CPP-NPA, he said Karapatan and its other allied groups are literally jumping at every shadow in the corner they see or pretend to see.

“You feared your own shadows for a long time because you know you have been involved in this insurgency since Karapatan was created. You hid under that legal cover while covering the illegal and violent activities of your communist bosses and Red fighters,” he added.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

“Coddling terrorists is not activism but a crime. Give the people and the government some time to understand some more of this duplicitous and deceitful character of yours and in due time the law will catch up on you.

If not, the wrath of the people you have victimized, including the relatives of NPAs you killed during the purging years in the CPP, will,” he said.