Roque to confer with Lorenzana over Parlade's red-tagging of community pantry organizers

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday he will reach out to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana over Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr.’s comments tagging organizers of community pantries as communists.

Roque made the response when asked if President Rodrigo Duterte will restrain Parlade from making such statements which are contrary to the government’s position welcoming the emergence of community pantries providing free food and groceries to those in need.

Parlade also serves as the spokesperson of the anti-insurgency task force created by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Kakausapin namin ni [Interior and Local Government] Secretary [Eduardo] Año si [Defense] Secretary [Delfin] Lorenzana kasi sa kanya nagre-report si General Parlade,” Roque said.

(Secretary Año and I will talk to Secretary Lorenzana because General Parlade reports to him.)

“Hindi naman sikretong napagsabihan na niyang mag ingat-ingat si Gen. Parlade sa mga deklarasyon niya,” he added.

(It is no secret that Lorenzana has already told Parlade to be more circumspect in his statements.)

Roque was referring to Lorenzana’s move back in October 2020 wherein the Defense chief cautioned Parlade against linking actress Liza Soberano and Miss Universe Catriona Gray to communist groups, saying that such accusations should only be made if the military official has evidence to back it up.

In a recent television interview, Parlade likened Patricia Non—one of the organizers of the Maginhawa community pantry—to Satan offering a free apple to Eve.

Despite Parlade’s statements, Roque maintained that the Duterte administration welcomes community pantries.

“We welcome any initiative that will be of help to the poor. Let community pantries bloom,” he said.—AOL, GMA News