Drilon, Lacson: Parlade Jr. post violates Constitution

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Panfilo Lacson believe Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. should no longer serve as spokesperson for the National Task Force to end Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) because his civilian post violates the 1987 Constitution.

Lacson cited Article XVI, Sec 5, paragraph 4 of the 1987 Constitution, which clearly states that no member of the armed forces in the active service shall be appointed or designated in any capacity to a civilian position in the Government.

He also pointed to Article XVI, Sec. 3 of the Constitution, which decrees that the armed forces shall be insulated from partisan politics and no member of the military shall engage in any partisan political activity, except to vote.

The lawmakers are responding to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon's statement that Parlade and Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy will keep their NTF-ELCAC positions while their concerns are being reviewed.

Drilon reiterated that the Constitution explicitly forbids active members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from holding civilian positions.

Drilon also argued that removing Parlade from his NTF-ELCAC spokesperson role is a matter of constitutional compliance, not presidential micromanagement as claimed by Secretary Harry Roque.