General scored by threats vs young actress

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of the Southern Luzon Command, Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. (left) and Liza Soberano

A statement by a military commander warning actress Liza Soberano not to associate with the progressive women’s group Gabriela sparked outrage Thursday, and a lawmaker warned the general to “be ready” at his next confirmation hearing.

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday criticized Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., head of the Luzon Southern Command of the Philippine Armed Forces, for his earlier statement that was perceived on social media as a threat against the popular actress, who was invited at a webinar Tuesday by Gabriela Youth that focused on the issues young women face amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Liza Soberano, there is still the possibility of abdicating from that group. If he doesn’t, he will suffer the same fate as Josephine Anne Lapira, ”said Parlade, who is also a spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflicts.

Lapira, 22, was a student at the University of the Philippines-Manila who died in November 2017 in what the army reported as an encounter in Batangas province between government forces and rebels from the New People’s Army (NPA).

“It’s a shame that she (Lapira) learned about nonsense things (sic) like grabbing a firearm, exploitation while she was already underground. It was too late, she’s dead, ”Parlade said.

‘She has to be protected’

In the same statement, Parlade asked the public “not to label Liza Soberano”, as she was “not yet” a member of the NPA.

“It’s not fair to her. She simply supports the defense of women’s rights. It must be protected in the exercise of its rights. Is she an NPA? Of course not. Not yet, ”Parlade said in his statement that was also posted on the task force’s Facebook page.

“Let’s help educate her and the other target celebrities of Malayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan, the underground mass organization that hides under the Gabriela Women’s Party,” said the general, who had previously criticized former Miss Universe Catriona Gray for speak on certain topics, such as the government shutdown of the ABS-CBN broadcasting network where Sovereign was a prominent talent.

‘Threats and harassment’

Hontiveros in his statement said: “We will not forget this. I will remember everything that you (Parlade) have done, so it is better to be prepared to answer for them the next time you face the (Nomination Committee). I won’t let this happen. “

“You must not use your power as a military general to scare and threaten these women. Your threats and harassment are unacceptable [because] any attempt to silence them is in effect allowing the violence, rape and abuse suffered by many Filipinos, “added the senator, a sitting member of the commission who also chairs the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality. .

Hontiveros said Parlade acted “like a lamb” when he attended a recent confirmation hearing.

She said: “I gave you the benefit of the doubt during your promotional hearing because I believed that, like my late husband Frank, you live up to the motto of the PMA (Philippine Military Academy): Courage, Integrity and Loyalty.”

He urged Sovereign and Gray not to be intimidated by talking about abuses against women.

“This is your constitutional right; do not be afraid. Just keep upholding your right to speak, as I and most of the Filipino people are with you. I greet you and hug you ”, said Hontiveros.

‘Underground’

Parlade, however, kept his position. In an interview with dzMM on Thursday afternoon, he said that Soberano had done nothing wrong and that his “activism [was] Welcome.”

But he insisted that Gabriela was a “clandestine” organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines whose “nature … is really violent”, and that Angela “Ella” Colmenares, sister of actress Angel Locsin, was “really red.”

Speaking of Colmenares in his statement, Parlade said: “The choice is yours Liza. And so with you Catriona. Don’t follow the path that Ka Ella Colmenares … took in the subway and NPA Quezon. I’m sure Angel Locsin and (former party list legislator) Neri Comenares won’t tell you this. “

In her Facebook post on Friday, Colmenares said in response: “Yes, I believe in the protection of women’s rights and human rights, the same defenses that Angel and Neri fight for, but so do millions of Filipinos in the whole country. That does not mean that he is a member of the NPA as claimed. Practicing our constitutional rights to which we are entitled, expressing our opinions and having a different belief than others does not imply that one should be labeled in red. —WITH REPORTS FROM MELVIN GASCON AND NESTOR CORRALES

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