President Rodrigo Duterte "does not micromanage" and is leaving it up to the the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTC-ELCAC) to decide whether or not to fire its spokesperson for allegedly red-tagging community pantry organizers, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

This after Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the defense department should have heeded the Senate's earlier call to remove Parlade from the task force. A gag order on NTF-ELCAC spokesman Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. is "not the appropriate response," he added.

"Hindi naman po nagma-micromanage ang ating Presidente," Palace spokesman Harry Roque said of the lawmaker's statement.

"Bahala na po ang NTF-ELCAC kung susundin nila o hindi ang rekomendasyon ni Senator Lacson," he said in a press briefing.

(Our President does not micromanage. It's up to the NTF-ELCAC whether or not they would follow the recommendation of Senator Lacson.)

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The constitution bars an active member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines like Parlade from holding a civilian post in the task force, Lacson said.

"He should be censured for dabbling in politics instead of just focusing on his inherent mission as commanding general of the Southern Luzon Command–that is, to fight threats such as terrorism and insurgency," he added.

Parlade previously made headlines for linking several female celebrities, Senate workers, and lawmakers to the communist movement, without presenting proof.

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