Antonio Parlade Jr.
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Antonio Gumba Parlade Jr.Parlade, Bob (2013) Parlade Family Memoir: A Breath Beneath the Shadow of Mayon. is a former Filipino military officer who retired as commander of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...
Southern Luzon Command in 2021, and was best known for his combative terms as spokesman for the
Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
before he was removed from that post in 2011, and later, as spokesperson of the
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is a task force organized by the government of the Philippines in 2018 as part of its " Whole-of-Nation approach" to respond to and raise awareness about ongoing communist ...
(NTF-ELCAC).


Early life and education

Antonio Parlade Jr. was born on July 26, 1965, in Ligao, Albay but grew up in
Daraga Daraga ( ɐrɐ'gaofficially the Municipality of Daraga ; ), is a municipality in the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 133,893. The municipality is home to the famous Cagsawa Ruins. Hist ...
. His father Antonio Sr. was a farmer while her mother Manuela was a school teacher. He is the second eldest among four brothers. Under an agreement he was supposed to pursue priesthood while his elder brother was to enter the military. His brother failed to resolve issues on his dental health which was a prerequisite for him to get admitted to the
Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...
(PMA). Antonio Jr. entered the PMA in his brother's stead graduating, due to the experiences he witnessed in his hometown, as abuses from the CPP/
New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...
(NPA) were rampant, and the NPA once held the Bicol Region as one of its hotspots. These experiences prompted Parlade Jr.'s the
Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...
(PMA) in 1983. Parlade was in the PMA during the waning days of the Marcos administration, and was still a cadet when the
People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...
resulted in the ouster and exile of Ferdinand Marcos and his family. Parlade Jr graduated from the academy as the Class Bawaw (Adjutant) of the "Hinirang" Class of 1987 - one of two batches of PMA cadets to graduate under the revolutionary government set up by
Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...
before the promulgation of the 1987 Philippine constitution. Parlade later also completed the Special Forces Operations Course, the Command and General Staff Course at the
United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
at
Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
,
Leavenworth County, Kansas Leavenworth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its county seat and most populous city is Leavenworth. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 81,881. The county ...
, and the Executive Course on Defense Decision Making at
Naval Postgraduate School Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a Naval command with a graduate university mission, operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. The NPS mission is to provide "defense-focused graduate education, including clas ...
, in
Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...
. Parlade returned to
Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
to hold his a
Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in Military Arts and Science, and also received his Master of Arts for Strategic Studies at the
Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974 with antecedent history since 1887, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia and a founding father of Australian Fede ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.


Military career

Through his career in the Armed Forces, Parlade became commander of various posts in the army, such as the Chief of Public Affairs Office and Spokesman for the
Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
, the Chief of Staff for Headquarters and Headquarters Support Group, and as Chief for Information Operations Division.


6th Infantry Division and Reform the Armed Forces Movement

Upon first being accepted into the Armed Forces, Parlade Jr volunteered to be assigned to the 6th Infantry "Kampilan" Division of the
Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
(6ID PA) in Mindanao, which was active in counterinsurgency combat operations against the
Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The MNLF was the organization most active in the Moro conf ...
. After obtaining some combat experience, Parlade Jr received training AFP
Special Forces Regiment (Philippines) The Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) is a Special Operations Forces unit of the Philippine Army. The unit is based on and continually trains with its American counterpart, the Special Forces (United States Army), U.S. Army Special Forces (Green ...
and then returned to combat operations with the 6ID. During this time, Parlade was decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Star. According to Parlade's account in his family's published memoirs, he experienced frustrations with corrupt superiors in the 6ID, which led him to join the Reform the Armed Forces Movement Young Officers Union, a faction of officers which had withdrawn its support from the administration of Corazon Aquino and called, among other things, for an "overhaul of the AFP and a hard line communist stand."


1st Infantry Division

As a result of his involvement in RAM, Parlade was among a number of officers transferred from the 6ID to the 1st Infantry "Tabak" Division (1ID) based in Zamboanga, which Parlade says was engaged counterinsurgency combat operations against "CPP NPAs, or communist terrorists" at that time. At the 1ID, he again noted corrupt practices by his battalion commander. This time, Parlade Jr. opted to go over the head of his commanding officer and report the infractions directly to their brigade division commander, the Chief of the Philippine Army, and the AFP Chief of Staff. The Battalion Commander was relieved, and Parlade was given an opportunity to train further at the US Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia.


Special Forces Regiment

Upon his return, Parlade Jr. was assigned to the
Special Forces Regiment (Philippines) The Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) is a Special Operations Forces unit of the Philippine Army. The unit is based on and continually trains with its American counterpart, the Special Forces (United States Army), U.S. Army Special Forces (Green ...
, which focused on unconventional warfare and on "training, organizing, equipping, and controlling para-military forces." Within the PA Airborne, Parlade Jr.'s moved up the ladder from team leader, company commander, regimental staff, commandant of the Special Forces School, and battalion commander. By the time Parlade Jr was promoted to Lt. Colonel, he was chosen to take his Master of Military Science at the US Army Command and General Staff course in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. By 2006, he completed his Master of Military Science thesis, "''An Analysis of the Communist Insurgency in the Philippines''," which called for "the systematic eradication of the causes of unrest through good governance, sound economic policies, effective legislation, aggressive policing, and a little bit of calculated military presence to make the people feel secure."


Assignment and removal as PA Spokesman

Parlade Jr. was later promoted to a full Colonel, at which time he was assigned as Spokesman for the Philippine Army.October 23, 2011. Aquino fires three military officials over Basilan clash. SecurityMatters Magazine. https://securitymatters.com.ph/aquino-fires-two-military-officials-over-basilan-clash-2662/ (deadlink) Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20130729120525/http://securitymatters.com.ph:80/aquino-fires-two-military-officials-over-basilan-clash-2662/ Parlade was sacked from that post in 2011 when he went on television to question the government's policy in the wake of the October 18, 2011, Al-Barka MILF-military encounter. The incident, which began when elements of the 13th Special Forces Company and 4th Special Forces Battalion were sent to Al Barka, Basilan to hunt down an MILF commander. Because the troops sent to Al Barka were mostly trainees, the resulting encounter saw the deaths of 6 MILF personnel and 19 government personnel, with the soldiers’ bodies found to have been mutilated by the time they were recovered by the military. The Philippine government decided to pursue the mechanisms of the
Bangsamoro peace process Formal peace negotiations between the Government of the Philippines and the various armed groups involved in the Moro conflictFernandez, Maria. (2017). Implementing Peace and Development in the Bangsamoro: Potentials and Constraints of Socio-Econ ...
after the encounter, which the media called “one of the Army’s worst operational blunders in recent history.” But Parlade stated on television that the government should suspend the ceasefire it had with the MILF in Basilan at the time, and let the army pursue the MILF forces involved in the encounter. Parlade was eventually assigned as commander of the 203rd Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division.


AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations

After his tour of duty as brigade commander, Parlade became the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, and following his position, Parlade was named as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations, J7, in March 2019, where he launched programs towards civic engagements, partnerships, and discussions with various stakeholders and partners of the AFP, from both the public and private sectors.


Southern Luzon Command

On 17 January 2020, Parlade took his post as the commander of the
AFP Southern Luzon Command The Southern Luzon Command (abbrv. as SOLCOM) is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' unified command in charge of the Calabarzon, Mimaropa and the Bicol region but excludes the Palawan Islands. It is responsible for the defense of these areas ag ...
(SolCom), based in Camp Guillermo Nakar,
Lucena City Lucena (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially known as the City of Lucena (), is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A) of the Philippines. The city is the largest urban center and capital of Q ...
, where earned his third star and was promoted to
Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
. As commander of SolCom, he launched intensified operations against the CPP/
New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...
(NPA) fronts in the SolCom's area of responsibility, and implemented measures in accordance with Executive Order No. 70, which also crafted a nation-building approach towards ending the communist insurgency. Parlade also subsequently serves as the spokesman of
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is a task force organized by the government of the Philippines in 2018 as part of its " Whole-of-Nation approach" to respond to and raise awareness about ongoing communist ...
(NTF-ELCAC), and continued his hard line approach against the CPP/NPA.


Retirement

Parlade retired from military service on July 25, 2021, and served a total of 38 years in the
Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
, and in the
Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...
. Among Parlade's military decorations include the Distinghished Conduct Star which was awarded to him in 1999, and he has twice been awarded Distinguished Service Star recipient, in 2007 and 2017.


NTF-ELCAC spokesperson

As one of the key crafters and as the spokesperson of the
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is a task force organized by the government of the Philippines in 2018 as part of its " Whole-of-Nation approach" to respond to and raise awareness about ongoing communist ...
(NTF-ELCAC), Parlade has made public accusations that certain figures and institutions are linked to Communist rebels in the Philippines and consequentially has been criticized for " red-tagging" people and groups. He had also claimed in different instances that the
Jabidah massacre The Jabidah massacre on March 18, 1968, was the assassinations or executions of Moro army recruits who allegedly mutinied upon learning the true nature of their mission. It is acknowledged as a major flashpoint that ignited the Moro insurg ...
in 1968 was a hoax spread by anti-government organizations despite the government acknowledging its reality in 2013.


"Red-tagging" incidents

In October 2018, Parlade was heavily criticized by
De La Salle University De La Salle University (), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private, Catholic coeducational research university run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with main campus in Taft Avenue, Malate, Man ...
, the
University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...
, and other higher education institutions when he identified 18 universities and colleges in Metro Manila as venues for recruitment for an alleged plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte, called "Red October". In October 2020, he accused of
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
Mayor
Isko Moreno Francisco "Isko" Moreno Domagoso (; born October 24, 1974) is a Filipino politician, actor, host and entrepreneur who is the mayor-elect of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, having been 2025 Manila local elections, elected in 202 ...
of "welcoming … terrorist to the city after the Moreno ordered the taking down of unauthorized tarpaulins that declared
Communist Party of the Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP; ) is a far-left, Marxist–Leninist–Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. The CPP has been fighting a gue ...
(CPP) members,
New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...
(NPA) fighters and national democrats as ''
personae non gratae In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...
'' in the city. In the same month, he made similar allegations against a number of high-profile celebrities, including
Angel Locsin Angelica Locsin Colmenares (born April 23, 1985) is a Filipino actress and humanitarian. She is known for her dramatic roles and portrayals of heroines and mythological characters in film and television. She is a recipient of various accolad ...
,
Liza Soberano Hope Elizabeth Soberano (born January 4, 1998) is an American and Filipino actress. Known for playing supporting characters in comedies and dramas as a teenager, she has since expanded her repertoire to leading roles in film and television. She ...
, and
Catriona Gray Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray ( ; ; born January 6, 1994) is a Filipino beauty queen and media personality best known for winning the title of Miss Universe 2018. The fourth Filipina to win Miss Universe, Gray was previously crowned Miss Worl ...
by associating their advocacy and rights activism work with the
New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...


Investigation by the Philippine Senate

In February 2021, a Committee report from the Philippines' Senate Committee on National Defense criticized his behavior, saying it was bad for the government's anti-insurgency campaign. In that same month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines launched an investigation on Parlade's alleged "red-tagging" after he called journalist Tech Torres-Tupaz a “communist propagandist.” His role as a spokesperson was put into dispute, when Senator
Ping Lacson Panfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson Sr. (; born June 1, 1948) is a Filipino politician who is a senator-elect of the Philippines. He is also a former police general who served as director general of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from 1999 to 2 ...
questioned the legality of Parlade's appointment believing it to be a violation of Article 16, Section 5 of the Constitution, barring active members of the military from holding civilian positions. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. reasoned that the prohibition only applies to Career Executive Service (CES) positions defined under Executive Order 371 issued by President
Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...
and the role of spokesperson is not considered a CES position. Parlade resigned from his position as spokesperson for the NTF-ELCAC sometime in June 2021, though he vowed to continue his campaign against communist revolutionaries.
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
said the Senate investigation of Parlade should lead to more efforts to hold accountable government officials whose red-tagging indirectly supports extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. During a panel interview, he had once clarified that, "Communism ''per se'' … if it's just belief in communism and that belief isn't paired with violence, I think everyone would get along. … In fact, in Europe … there are still many communist parties, but that's okay since they don't maintain armed wings. Their societies have come to accept them. But over here, it's different: he CPPhas an armed wing. And that's why we're having this problem." Likewise, in a later interview, he said that, "It's the same with the
right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
: if you're
far right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and Nativism (politics), nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on ...
, and you ross the lineby taking up arms and trying to overthrow the overnment that's a whole other story."


Criminal and administrative complaints

Human rights group
Karapatan Karapatan Alliance Philippines (commonly shortened to Karapatan, which translates to ''rights'' in Filipino) is a left-wing non-governmental organization and human rights alliance that conducts research and advocacy of human rights campaigns as ...
filed before the
Office of the Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...
criminal and administrative complaints against Parlade for allegedly violating the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity. According to Karapatan, red-tagging by Parlade and other government officials fall under crimes against humanity of persecution. Parlade was also accused of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. In September 2023, the Office of the Ombudsman found Parlade and former undersecretary Lorraine Badoy guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service for red-tagging activists.


Political career

Parlade submitted his candidacy for president in the 2022 presidential elections under the
Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino (KDP) is a Philippine far-right neo-nationalist and ultranationalist political party founded on August 31, 2018. It was formed by supporters of 16th President Rodrigo Duterte, including some officers affiliate ...
party (KDP), but his substitution for independent candidate Antonio Valdez was disallowed by the Commission on Elections.


Personal life

Parlade is married to Cecile Ortega since 1995 with whom he had four daughters and a son.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parlade, Antonio Jr. 1965 births Living people Duterte administration personnel Filipino anti-communists People from Albay Philippine Army generals Philippine Military Academy alumni