Ombudsman orders Esperon, Badoy, Parlade to answer admin complaint filed in 2020

Nearly two years since an administrative complaint was lodged against three former officials of the government's anti-communist insurgency task force, the Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the respondents to answer the accusations against them.

In an order dated June 16, 2022, the Office of the Ombudsman directed then National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., then Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, and retired Southern Luzon Command chief Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. to file their respective counter-affidavits within 10 days from receipt of the order.

All three respondents were part of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

The Ombudsman order stemmed from an administrative complaint filed by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) in December 2020, seeking the dismissal of the three officials from government service with the forfeiture of their benefits. 

The NUPL alleged that Esperon, Badoy, and Parlade vilified the lawyers’ group by publicly accusing them as a front of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) which is “unsupported by credible, competent and admissible evidence.”

The lawyers group accused the former officials of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, grave abuse of authority, and grave misconduct on account of their participation and role in the formulation and implementation of the government’s policy and practice of tagging progressive organizations and their members as “communist terrorists” or “fronts” of the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), “which in itself constitutes serious threats to their lives, liberty and security.”

The complaint was the fifth filed against the perpetrators of "red-tagging," or the practice of labelling activists and progressive personalities and organizations as communist terrorists or fronts, NUPL president Edre Olalia earlier said.

"In this case, respondents have abused the offices they hold and have taken advantage of the positions by persecuting and espousing lies and unfounded accusations and false attributions against NUPL and its members," the NUPL said in their 47-page complaint.

The Ombudsman said respondents’ failure to file counter-affidavits within the prescribed period “shall be deemed a waiver of their right to submit controverting evidence and the investigation shall proceed accordingly.”

“No motion to dismiss or bill of particulars, or other dilatory motions shall be entertained,” it said.

'Desperate move'

Asked for comment, Esperon on Saturday said the move is a "typical desperate move" of communist terrorist groups (CTG).

"Sorry I have not read it [order]. Typical desperate move of CTG. Taking advantage of the institutions of the government that they seek to overthrow," Esperon told GMA News Online.

GMA News Online also contacted Badoy and Parlade for comment but has yet to receive their replies. —KG, GMA News