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(File photo) Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr.
MANILA, Philippines – The sister of actress and philanthropist Angel Locsin has come out to reprimand Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr.’s claim that he is a member of the New People’s Army (NPA), insisting that he supports women’s rights and not the armed conflict.
In a post on Twitter Thursday, Ella Colmenares said she was not supposed to defend herself, but ultimately decided to speak up to clear things up, as her life and family may have been put in jeopardy by the red label incident.
Parlade, who is the head of the Southern Luzon Command of the Philippine Armed Forces (AFP) and also a member of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Insurgency (NTF-ELCAC), mentioned Colmenares’ name in his advice against the celebrity Liza Soberano on Wednesday.
Soberano was on the wrong side of the red label allegations after he appeared at an online seminar hosted by Gabriela. In the statement, Parlade said that fellow actress Angel Locsin and her uncle Bayan Muna’s president, Neri Colmenares, did not inform Soberano of the truth about “Ella Colmenares.”
“I don’t have to defend myself because I haven’t done anything wrong, but I decided to speak up, not only for myself, but also for my children, whose lives may have been in danger due to this reckless red label being spread on social media. “Said Ella Colmenares in her statement.
“Yes, I believe in protecting women’s rights and human rights, the same initiatives that Angel and Neri fight for, but so do millions of Filipinos across the country. That does not mean that he is a member of the NPA as is being claimed ”, he added.
I don’t have to defend myself because I haven’t done anything wrong, but I decided to speak up, not only for myself, but also for my children, whose lives may have been in jeopardy due to this reckless red label spreading on social media.#ActivistsNotTerrorists pic.twitter.com/caap4ey6uh
– Angela Colmenares (@ellacolmenares) October 22, 2020
INQUIRER.net searched Angel’s side on Wednesday, but has yet to respond to this post. But in a cryptic story posted by Angel on Instagram, she greeted her younger brother, who is celebrating his birthday Thursday, noting that his sister, Colmenares, who Parlade said was on the “subway,” is with them.
“Happy birthday to our youngest […] with our controversial sister who is in hiding in Quezon, “Locsin said.
Colmenares also made a joke, about feeling beautiful, as she was placed alongside Soberano, Locsin and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray.
Parlade mentioned Colmenares apparently to warn Soberano and Gray about the dangers of being attributed to groups like Gabriela.
However, he drew criticism after netizens believed that his statement, that Sovereign should not be tagged in red because he is “not yet a member of the NPA,” was a veiled threat.
Parlade’s comments about Sovereign, that she needs to be educated about the dangers, were also taken by various legislators as a form of manliness, or men explaining matters to women in a condescending way.
Colmenares called on the public to stand up and defend people who may have been the target of attacks for only expressing their opinions that can be seen as dissidents, those of the administration.
Let us stop the cycle of hatred and instead discuss the merits of the issues being raised. #ActivistsNotTerrorists ”, he finished.
JPV
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