Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade said it was a senator who called him stupid first, as he defended the use of the pejorative to fight back against those seeking to defund the NTF-ELCAC, the counter-insurgency task force where he serves as spokesman.
Parlade said it was unfair to call for the defunding of the NTF-ELCAC based on his and co-spokesperson Lorraine Badoy's statements on the community pantry movement. Badoy is also undersecretary for communications.
The general, whose main job is commander of the Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command, said he doesn't get paid for his role at NTF-ELCAC, not one peso.
"Bakit naman ganito ang trato nila sa amin? Stupido, tawagin nila kaming stupido so sabi ko sa interview ko I'm going to use that word that they used. So 'yun, sinasabi ko yun, pero hindi ko nilalahat, hindi ko nilalahat," he told DZRH radio.
Parlade was asked about a Philippine Daily Inquirer report which quoted as him as saying that his critics in the Senate were stupid for seeking to defund the NTF-ELCAC.
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"Wala kaming pisong duling na natatangap sa NTF-ELCAC," he said, adding he was doing his job answering questions. "Pinagtyatyagaan nga natin ito tapos tatawagin tayong stupido, wag naman. At I'm sorry dun sa, kung ang, nasaktan natin yung ibang senador na wala namang kaalam alam dito dahil nilahat ni Inquirer," he said.
Over the weekend, the vice chairman of NTF-ELCAC, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, directed Parlade and Badoy to stop discussing community pantries.
Parlade went viral last week after he likened the work of Ana Patricia Non, the originator of the viral community pantry in Maginhawa, Quezon City, to Satan.
"Ang mga sundalo sumusunod kami kung ano ang utos sa amin, kung kami ay inutusan na tumigil magsalita, tigil kami, kung kami ay inutusan na sugod, sugod kami so ganun lang yun," he said.
