National Security Adviser Eduardo Año earned a powerful endorsement from retired Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., who came to his defense in a recent Facebook post, firmly rejecting claims that Año was part of a so-called "core group" that plotted the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"FOCUS! LET US NOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE ENEMY," Parlade's post read. "And the enemy is NOT the government as a whole. The enemy is the CPP and their tentacles in government."

Parlade, a former commander of Southern Luzon Command and long-time intelligence officer, vouched for Año’s integrity and patriotism, calling him a “professional soldier” whose loyalty to the Republic is “beyond reproach.”

“We were Battalion Commanders together in Southern Tagalog at the height of insurgency. His loyalty to the flag is beyond reproach,” Parlade said, recalling their close working relationship. “This is the reason why we are successful with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)—because I knew how he fought to push the agenda: END COMMUNIST ARMED CONFLICT.”

Año, a former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and a key figure in the crushing of the Maute terror group in the Battle of Marawi, currently serves as Vice Chairperson of the NTF-ELCAC and National Security Adviser under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Under Año’s leadership in both the AFP and NTF-ELCAC, numerous top communist leaders have been neutralized, significantly weakening the CPP-NPA’s operational capacity. Among the high-value targets neutralized during his watch are:

* Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos – spokesperson and top commander of the NPA in Mindanao, killed in Bukidnon in 2021;
* Antonio Cule – secretary of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee, neutralized in Laguna in 2022;
* Menandro Villanueva – head of the NPA's National Operations Command and Politburo member, killed in Davao de Oro in early 2022;
* Benito and Wilma Tiamzon – top CPP officials and consultants in the failed peace talks, reportedly killed in an armed encounter in Samar in 2022
* Ericson Acosta – NDF consultant and cultural figure, neutralized in Negros Occidental in 2022;
* “Ka Prantoy" (Leonardo Rey Tarongoy) – a high-ranking leader in Eastern Mindanao, slain in 2023; and
* Ka Jema" (Rosalinda Padilla) – finance officer of the National Finance Commission of the CPP, killed in Northern Luzon in 2023.

He said these operational successes, which Año helped direct and sustain, were instrumental in breaking down regional and national communist leadership structures.

Parlade emphasized that Año has always operated based on duty, not political vendetta.

“As NSA, he gives advice, as it is his duty to do so as a good soldier. To accuse Sec. Año of disloyalty to the former President is rather UNFAIR. We owe so much to this person why this nation has survived to this day,” he added.

The controversy stems from an earlier allegation that Año was part of a core group that planned arrest former President Duterte, as wrongfully stated by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

Remulla corrected the claim during a recent Senate hearing, describing Año as “a professional and a good soldier.”

“History will judge this nation on how we treated the architect for the downfall of the CPP,” Parlade said. “But I know Secretary Año is not part of its planners.”

The former general ended his post by reiterating the need for unity in government, quoting former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio: “There must be teamwork in government so that the forces of evil seeking to destroy our democracy do not prevail.”

“As National Security Adviser and a seasoned warrior against terrorism and insurgency, Secretary Eduardo Año continues to stand as a pillar of stability—a living hero who has never wavered in his service to the country,” Parlade added.