A photo of fugitive ex-military general Jovita Palparan released to the Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper by the human rights group Karapatan. And another photo when he was still a major general in the army.
MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 12, 2014) – Philippine authorities have vowed to investigate the people who provided refuge to a former military general Jovito Palparan who is accused of abducting two student-activists in 2006 in Bulacan province just outside Manila.
Palparan was arrested at dawn Tuesday in Santa Mesa; Manila after government agents raided his hideout. His capture came three years after a court ordered his arrest in connection to the disappearance of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, both students of the University of the Philippines. Both women are feared dead, but their families believed they are still alive.
Bearded, long hair and looking frail, Palparan denied all accusations against him. He was later brought to the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Manila and presented to journalists clean-shaven. He said the two women were ‘hard-core’ members of the communist rebel group New People’s Army and that he nor his soldiers were involved in the disappearance of Cadapan and Empeño.
A farmer, Manuel Merino, who was abducted along with the two women, was tortured and killed by soldiers and his body burned before being buried at an army detachment in Limay, Bataan province. Raymond Manalo, who escaped from a military abduction in 2008, said he saw soldiers, who were members of 24th Infantry Battalion burn Merino’s dead body and buried the corpse in the village called Bliss. Merino was killed June 10, 2007.
Manalo and his brother, Reynaldo, were allegedly seized by members of the 56th Infantry Battalion on February 14, 2006. They stayed in this Bataan detachment along with Merino, Cadapan, and Empeño from November 2006 to June 2007.
Aside from Palparan, also included in the criminal charges were Colonel Felipe Anotado, Staff Sergeant Edgar Osorio and Master Sergeant Rizal Hilario.
Besides the Cadapan, and Empeño case, Palparan is also being linked to the killings of Southern Tagalog human rights defenders Eden Marcellana and Eddie Gumanoy in April 2003. Palparan is also implicated in many cases of extrajudicial killings in Eastern Visayas, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog where he was assigned during the administration of President Gloria Arroyo, according to the Kapayapaan, a broad network of peace advocates.
Dr. Lito Manalili, former Dean of the UP College of Social Work and Community Development and one of the convenors of Kapayapaan, said the arrest of Palparan shows that there are still patriotic and democratic elements in state security forces who uphold the rule of law.
“This is a good step but there is a long way to go to make Palparan accountable for all the human rights abuses he committed against activists and civilians,” Manalili said.
Rep. Carlos Zarate said the arrest of Palparan is a “long delayed action” in the search for justice for Empeño and Cadapan, as well as for the other victims of human rights violations under the brutal reign of the former general.
“We laud the relatives of the victims, particularly the parents of Karen and Sherlyn, for their relentless efforts to make the favorite general of Gloria Arroyo accountable for his crimes,” Zarate said.
Lorena Santos, Secretary-General of Families of Desaparecidos for Justice, said Palparan is accountable for at least 59 victims of enforced disappearances – five victims in Mindoro; 42 in Central Luzon, and 12 in Eastern Visayas. “We demand that Palparan be imprisoned in a regular jail and not in a military custody,” Santos said.
Cristina Palabay, Secretary-General of Karapatan, said while they welcomed the capture of Palparan, two other cases of military abductions were reported in the town of Carranglan in Nueva Ecija province. She said Guiller Cadano, 22, and Gerald Salonga, 24, was seized August 8 by elements of the 3rd Infantry Battalion under the 7th Infantry Division. The two men were handed to the police on false charges, she said.
She said Cadano is a member of Pi Sigma Fraternity while Salonga is a member of Sigma Kappa Pi Fraternity and both of UP Clark chapters. Cadano and Salonga are both youth organizers of Kabataan party list.
A Filipino youth group called Anakbayan said “Palparan and other military officials responsible for this fascist mass murder campaign should be held accountable for their crimes. There should be no special treatment, no cover up. Other military officials, retired or in active service, should also be arrested and held accountable. Military and government officials who helped Palparan elude arrest should also be charged.”
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda praised the capture of Palparan. “We commend the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Bureau of Investigation for their steadfast doggedness in pursuing all leads to find and capture Jovito Palparan. Today, this resolute determination has paid off; the long arm of the law has finally reached Mr. Palparan. President Aquino promised that those who evade the law will be found. That promise to capture General Palparan has been fulfilled today,” Lacierda said.
A government spokesman Herminio Coloma also said the arrest of Palparan shows the administration’s determination to reform the justice system to ensure equal protection for everyone.
“Matibay ang determinasyon ng ating Pangulo na iharap sa hukuman at panagutin ang mga mayroong usapin sa paglabag ng mga karapatang pantao at sa paglabag ng batas,” Coloma said.
He said while Palparan’s arrest is a small victory in the country’s justice system, the Aquino government is working hard to have an effective criminal justice system in the long term.
“Ensuring the conviction of those who have violated the law is a prime consideration of the government and the commitment of the government to ensure the rule of law is a major step to breaking the culture of impunity in the country,” Coloma said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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