Habang iginigiit nito ang paggalang sa kababaihan at sa kanilang mga karapatan, dinipensahan naman ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) noong Oktubre 24 ang isang heneral na nag red-tag umano ng mga celebrities, at sinabing baka “gamitin” ng mga makakaliwang grupo ang mga nasabing celebrities sa underground na operasyon.

Pinangalanan din ni Marine Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, ang mga mag-aaral na napatay dahil sa putukan sa pagitan ng mga rebelde at sundalo, at sinabing “hindi propaganda” ang communist recruitment sa mga paaralan.

“The AFP has the highest respects for women and women’s rights that are also being espoused by Ms. Soberano and Ms. Gray. We even accorded military honors to the former Miss Universe in August 2019 for bringing prestige to Filipino Women and for her advocacies,” ani Arevalo. 

Kanyang tinutukoy ang aktres na si Liza Soberano at Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, na naging laman ng kontrobesiya dahil sa pag-ugnay sa dalawa ni Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., isang opisyal ng National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) sa mga komunista..

Umani si Parlade ng pambabatikos mula sa mga kongresista, mambabatas, at maging kay Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, kung saan binigyang diin ng kalihim na hindi dapat magbitiw ng mga ganitong komento nang walang ebidensiya.

Sinabi naman ni Arevalo, sa siyang namumuno sa AFP Education, Training and Doctrine Command, na hindi kathang-isip ang recruitment ng kabataan na maging komunista at ito aniya ang naging ugat ng Hands Off Our Children initiative, isang grupo ng mga magulang na may mga anak na umanib sa New People’s Army (NPA).

“Recruitment by the CTG (communist-terrorist group) from among the students, youth leaders, and influencers is not a propaganda — it is real. Student leaders Lapira, Manalo, et al who figured and died during armed encounters with soldiers were testaments to this deadly trail. The fact that Hands Off Our Children came about is a truth to tell,” giit nito.

Para kay Arevalo, ang pagprotekta sa mga tao mula sa recruitment ay kabahagi ng tungkulin ng AFP.

Aniya, “We in the AFP has the solemn obligation to fight and defeat communist terrorists which means death from either side. But before we reached that point, we trail our focus on prevention. Hence the effort to inform Ms. Soberano and educate the netizens.”

“We are not saying that Ms Soberano is a member of NPA, but we are worried that she and her genuine advocacies may just be used by some sectors with reported links to the underground movements in recruiting for the CTG owing to her popularity,” dagdag pa nito.