“Silence is golden.”
The phrase––widely attributed to poet Thomas Carlyle––is something members of the military should keep in mind, according to Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante Jr., who on Sunday urged Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. to take to heart the advice of Secretary of National Defense (SND) Delfin Lorenzana, who earlier cautioned Parlade against issuing statements against activist groups without evidence.
“Sec. Lorenzana has a valid point––the same point those of us in Congress made following the reckless red-tagging statements of PCOO (Presidential Communications Operations Office) Usec. Lorraine Badoy, who, like Lt. Gen. Parlade, is also a spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac),” said Abante.
Abante was Minority Leader when he spoke up in defense of Makabayan Bloc members who were accused by Badoy of being terrorists.
“The allegations leveled by Lt. Gen. Parlade echo that of Usec. Badoy; both contend that Gabriela has a violent agenda, but neither can offer proof to back up their statements.”
The Manila solon stressed out that “the issue involving the red-tagging of members of the Minority runs along the same lines of what was done to Ms. Liza Soberano, who was red-tagged simply for speaking and sharing her story at a conference organized by the youth arm of Gabriela.”
“Wala naman silang hawak na ebidensya laban sa Gabriela. Our officers in the military need to be reminded that aside from being a women’s advocacy group, Gabriela is an accredited party-list organization that has a sitting representative in Congress,” pointed out the lawmaker.
“The allegations leveled by Lt. Gen. Parlade echo that of Usec. Badoy; both contend that Gabriela has a violent agenda, but neither can offer proof to back up their statements.”
Following the remarks of Parlade, Lorenzana said “my thoughts about that is if there is no evidence yet, do not talk about it.”
“Now is not the time to attack one another because of our differing beliefs; now is the time to set these aside and work for the collective good.”
Lorenzana also told reporters that he would meet with members of the NTF-Elcac.
Abante appealed to Parlade, Badoy, and the NTF-Elcac to “take a closer look at the root causes of the communist insurgency and the tactics they have adopted to combat it.”
“Perhaps instead of attacking Ms. Soberano and other personalities, they can find a more positive and inspiring way to make a clear and compelling case to the public that one need not take arms to effect change in our country,” said the legislator.
“Now is not the time to attack one another because of our differing beliefs; now is the time to set these aside and work for the collective good. Kailangan natin magkaisa.”