Inexcusable

After receiving flak for his baseless accusations and red-tagging of several actresses solely based on their support for women's rights, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., the executive director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is at it again. Because of the DND's unilateral abrogation of their agreement with UP regarding prohibiting the entry of military and police into their campuses without permission, Parlade has chimed in.

Parlade enumerates 18 universities, including Ateneo de Manila, De la Salle, UST, and FEU, that allegedly serve as recruitment centers for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People's Army (NPA). Really? Are Ateneans and Lasallites becoming communists as well? My brothers, nephews, and nieces might be communists? It is disconcerting how the AFP can issue statements such as this without basis or evidence. And just like that, the AFP issued an apology for releasing a list of supposedly captured or killed UP alumni and students that joined the NPA. Several on that list showed up alive or were never arrested. The AFP said they will investigate how the list came out and more importantly who issued it and how those names were included. What is happening to the AFP Intelligence fund? This is a failure of intelligence. Has it turned into the blunder-prone Presidential Communications Operations Office? Have all the intelligence funds gone to the Office of the President instead?

Being on any list thrown out by this administration is no laughing matter. Be it a narco list or being "red-tagged" by government officials, the police, and the AFP, because the due process may be thrown out the window. Often those on the lists are arrested and jailed immediately or even liquidated with extreme prejudice. Due process is only for the likes of Gen. Debold Sinas, Sen. Koko Pimentel, Master Sergeant Daniel Florendo Jr., and Police Staff Sergeant Jonel Nuezca even though strong evidence of their respective violations of the law exists. What if some soldiers acted immediately against those on the list? Would an issued apology suffice?

Perhaps the AFP should do their homework before coming with an accusatory list. Survey those who have surrendered and find out where they went to school before joining the rebel movement. Issuing both dangerous statements or lists must be backed up by evidence and not conjecture. Especially not an inexcusable, dangerous list such as the one issued by the AFP.