Sobejana distances AFP from Parlade's remark vs. journo

Armed Forces chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana on Friday distanced the military organization from Southern Luzon Command chief Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr.'s controversial statement against a mainstream media reporter.

Interviewed on ANC, Sobejana said Parlade made the statement against Inquirer.net reporter Tetch Torres-Tupas in his capacity as spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Insurgency (NTF-ELCAC).

The task force, headed by President Rodrigo Duterte, is composed of various agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Sobejana stressed that Parlade is not the designated AFP spokesperson but Major General Edgard Arevalo.

"If Major General Arevalo made that statement, I can correct him especially if there is no concrete basis for the statement," said Sobejana, who assumed the AFP chief post on Thursday, replacing General Gilbert Gapay.

Asked if Parlade would be investigated for his statement, Sobejana said: "Please allow us to do internal processes and we will inform you accordingly of the results of our efforts."

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Parlade castigated Tupas for her story on the two Aetas who sought help from the Supreme Court after being allegedly tortured by state forces. He called the report "propaganda."

When asked by a netizen if charges could be filed against Torres-Tupaz, Parlade replied: "Aiding the terrorists by spreading lies? Puede."

Several groups, including media organizations, have expressed support for Tupas, saying Parlade's remark shows the danger of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, the legality of which is being challenged before the Supreme Court. --KBK, GMA News