The human rights alliance Karapatan in Southern Mindanao Region (Karapatan-SMR) has issued a strong condemnation against former military general Antonio Parlade Jr. for his recent social media attack on prominent human rights attorney and educator, Tony La Viña. The group labeled Parlade's actions as a dangerous instance of "red-tagging" that endangers not only La Viña but the entire legal profession.
An Unfounded Accusation on Social Media
The controversy erupted after Parlade published a post on his Facebook page on January 2, 2026, titled "Who is Atty. Tony La Viña and why he loves the CPP so much." In the post, the former general insinuated that La Viña's legal defense of activists stems from his alleged sympathy for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Parlade is a former spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) and ex-commander of the AFP's Southern Luzon Command.
Grecian Asoy, Karapatan-SMR's deputy secretary-general, emphasized that this is not Parlade's first offense. "Despite being reprimanded by the Ombudsman in the August 2023 ruling, Parlade has once again made accusations against the Mindanaoan lawyer La Viña," Asoy stated. He stressed that La Viña is a respected legal practitioner and academic who faithfully upholds the Constitution and the ethical duty of lawyers to defend human rights.
A Direct Assault on Justice and the Right to Counsel
Karapatan-SMR argues that Parlade's online statements are reckless and irresponsible. "To vilify a lawyer for representing marginalized sectors and advocating civil liberties is an assault not only on his person but on the entire legal profession and on the people’s right to counsel," Asoy explained. The group warned that maliciously branding rights defenders as enemies of the state places their lives, liberty, and security in grave danger.
This act of red-tagging, according to the organization, directly undermines a landmark Supreme Court ruling. Asoy pointed out that Parlade's statements contradict the precedent set in Deduro v. Vinoya, where the High Court recognized that red-tagging is a tangible threat to a person's life, liberty, and security.
Legal Community Rallies in Solidarity
Echoing the condemnation, the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) also denounced Parlade's post. The UPLM stated that the attack on La Viña constitutes a direct assault on the right to counsel and the independence of the legal profession. "This not only intimidates lawyers but undermines the entire justice system, deterring legal professionals from taking on cases involving activists, dissenters, and the marginalized," the UPLM wrote in their statement.
In light of these events, Karapatan-SMR has renewed its urgent call to end the practice of red-tagging and to hold individuals like Antonio Parlade Jr. accountable for endangering those who speak truth to power. The group stands in solidarity with Tony La Viña and all victims of such baseless accusations and urges the Bar and the Bench to staunchly uphold human rights, civil liberties, and the safety of justice workers.
