Antonio Parlade

Antonio Gumba Parlade Jr.Parlade, Bob (2013) Parlade Family Memoir: A Breath Beneath the Shadow of Mayon. is a former Filipino military officer who retired as commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon Command in 2021, and was best known for his term as spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Early life and education

Antonio Parlade Jr. was born on July 26, 1965 in Ligao, Albay but grew up in Daraga. His father Antonio Sr. was a farmer while her mother Manuela was a school teacher. He is the second eldest among four brothers. Under an agreement he was supposed to pursue priesthood while his elder brother was to enter the military. His brother failed to resolve issues on his dental health which was a prerequisite for him to get admitted to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA). Antonio Jr. entered the PMA in his brother's stead graduating, due to the experiences he witnessed in his hometown, as abuses from the CPP/New People's Army (NPA) were rampant, and the NPA once held the Bicol Region as one of its hotspots. These experiences prompted Parlade Jr.'s the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1983, before graduating at the academy in 1987 as a member of the Hinirang class.

Parlade also completed the Special Forces Operations Course, the Command and General Staff Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Leavenworth County, Kansas and the Executive Course on Defense Decision Making at Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, California. Parlade returned to Fort Leavenworth to hold his a Master's degree in Military Arts and Science, and also received his Master of Arts for Strategic Studies at the Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.

Military career

Parlade became commander of various posts in the army, such as the Chief of Public Affairs Office and Spokesman for the Philippine Army, the Chief of Staff for Headquarters and Headquarters Support Group, and as Chief for Information Operations Division. Throughout his career, Parlade has been known as a controversial figure, and was often described to be a "communist hardliner" and a "man of principles", where he was once sacked as the Army Spokesman in 2011 regarding his comments on the ceasefire agreement between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Basilan. Years later, Parlade became commander of the 203rd Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division. After his tour of duty as brigade commander, Parlade became the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, and following his position, Parlade was named as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations, J7, on March 2019, where he launched programs towards civic engagements, partnerships, and discussions with various stakeholders and partners of the AFP, from both the public and private sectors.

On 17 January 2020, Parlade took his post as the commander of the AFP Southern Luzon Command (SolCom), based in Camp Guillermo Nakar, Lucena City, where earned his third star and was promoted to Lieutenant general. As commander of SolCom, he launched intensified operations against the CPP/New People's Army (NPA) fronts in the SolCom's area of responsibility, and implemented measures in accordance with Executive Order No. 70, which also crafted a nation-building approach towards ending the communist insurgency. Parlade also subsequently serves as the spokesman of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), and continued his hard line approach against the CPP/NPA.

Parlade retired from military service on July 25, 2021, and served a total of 38 years in the Philippine Army, and in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Among Parlade's military decorations include the Distinghished Conduct Star which was awarded to him in 1999, and he has twice been awarded Distinguished Service Star recipient, in 2007 and 2017.

NTF-ELCAC spokesperson

As one of the key crafters and as the spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), Parlade has made public accusations that certain figures and institutions are linked to Communist rebels in the Philippines and consequentially has been criticized for " red-tagging" people and groups.

In October 2018, he was heavily criticized by De La Salle University, the University of Santo Tomas, and numerous other Higher Education Institutions when he identified 18 universities and colleges in Metro Manila as venues for recruitment for an alleged plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte, called "Red October."

In October 2020, he accused of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno of "welcoming … terrorist to the city after the Moreno ordered the taking down of unauthorized tarpaulins that declared Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) members, New People's Army (NPA) fighters and national democrats as ''personae non gratae'' in the city. In the same month, he made similar allegations against a number of high-profile celebrities, including Angel Locsin, Liza Soberano, and Catriona Gray by associating their advocacy and rights activism work with the New People's Army

In February 2021, a Committee report from the Philippines' Senate Committee on National Defense criticized his behavior, saying it was bad for the government's anti-insurgency campaign. In that same month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines launched an investigation on Parlade's alleged "red-tagging" after he called journalist Tech Torres-Tupaz a “communist propagandist.”

His role as a spokesperson was put into dispute, when Senator Ping Lacson questioned the legality of Parlade's appointment believing it to be a violation of the constitution's provision under Article 16, Section 5 of the Constitution, barring active members of the military from holding civilian positions. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. reasoned that the prohibition only applies to Career Executive Service (CES) positions defined under Executive Order 371 issued by President Corazon Aquino and the role of spokesperson is not considered a CES position. Parlade resigned from his position as spokesperson for the NTF-ELCAC sometime in June 2021, though he vowed to continue his campaign against communist revolutionaries.

During a panel interview, he had once clarified that, "Communism ''per se'' … if it's just belief in communism and that belief isn't paired with violence, I think everyone would get along. … In fact, in Europe … there are still many communist parties, but that's okay since they don't maintain armed wings. Their societies have come to accept them. But over here, it's different: CPP">he CPPhas an armed wing. And that's why we're having this problem." Likewise, in a later interview, he said that, "It's the same with the right: if you're far right, and you ross the lineby taking up arms and trying to overthrow the overnment that's a whole other story."

Criminal and administrative complaints

Human rights group Karapatan filed before the Office of the Ombudsman criminal and administrative complaints against Parlade for allegedly violating the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity. According to Karapatan, red-tagging by Parlade and other government officials fall under crimes against humanity of persecution. Parlade was also accused of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Political career

Parlade submitted his candidacy for president in the upcoming 2022 presidential elections under the Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino party (KDP), but he was not included in the list of official candidates by COMELEC.

Personal life

Parlade is married to Cecile Ortega since 1995 with whom he had four daughters and a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parlade, Antonio Jr.
Filipino military personnel
Living people
Philippine Army generals
Duterte administration personnel
Philippine Military Academy alumni
Filipino anti-communists
People from Albay
1965 births