Throwing down the gauntlet

Armed Forces of the Philippines Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., chief of the Southern Luzon Command, may have thrown down the gauntlet at his commander-in-chief, perhaps without realizing it. Make that two commanders-in-chief, former president Noynoy Aquino and sitting president Rodrigo Duterte. Without naming them, he decried the "lack of political will" by the national leadership in dealing with Chinese actions in the South China Sea.

Parlade was up for confirmation along with other officers nominated for promotion when grilled Monday at the Commission on Appointments about military capabilities in defending Philippine rights in the hotly contested body of water. To that, Parlade instead lamented the lack of political will in the national leadership to respond quickly, if at all, to Chinese aggressive designs in the South China Sea.

The military general explained that as early as 2013 and 2014 (during the time of Aquino) when the Chinese started muscling its way into maritime and naval supremacy in the region by reclaiming, building and fortifying islands, the armed forces already documented the activities but nobody took any action. "As the military is an extension of politics, we will abide by whatever the president, the commander-in-chief, will tell us."

But despite the documented and reported illegal Chinese activities, no action was taken by the national leadership, Parlade said. "The Department of Foreign Affairs did not take action. The Office of the President did not take action." "The first capability that we need is the wherewithal to send the message that this government is serious about protecting its rights," Parlade said.

If you think that is quite a mouthful to say, in public at that, about your past and present commanders-in-chief, it most certainly is. By referencing only 2013 and 2014, Parlade may have only alluded to Aquino. But as a currently serving senior military officer, surely it has not been lost on Parlade that his current boss Duterte has also adopted a policy of deference to China.

Never mind Aquino because he is no longer in office, but it would be interesting to find out how Duterte feels about what can only be described as a very public gripe by a ranking military officer. Never mind the Duterte who is president because he even downgrades himself to mayor. But I wonder about the volatile persona who is commander-in-chief.

Of course, it may not have been the intention of Parlade to publicly, er, let us just say "regret" the inaction of his superiors over a very sensitive and delicate situation. And maybe the news reports gave too much emphasis and importance to utterances that surely must have been among many in a gathering such as a confirmation hearing. But unless he was misquoted, he did say what he said. And again that was a mouthful from a subordinate.

While I can agree, even fully, with what Parlade has said, speaking as he did from his point of view, I still think that, as an officer, he did not act with grace under pressure. As a commander, you do not lose your cool. And by that I do not mean throwing the chair against the wall. I meant something more like knowing what to say and when to say it. For words are also like a soldier's weapons. They can do harm or even kill.