DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 28, 2013) – Filipino youth group Anakbayan renewed calls for the immediate arrest of a former army general linked to alleged abductions, disappearances and murders of political activist in the Philippines.
Anakbayan blamed the massive human rights violations to the government’s anti-insurgency campaign called Oplan Bayanihan. Among those who remain missing since their abduction 7 years ago were university students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.
The students were said to have been abducted by elements of military under 7th Infantry Division and are still nowhere to be found despite of the resolution released last December 2011 by the Panel of National Prosecution Service, charging retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., retired Lieutenant Colonel Felipe G. Anotado, retired Master Sergeant Rizal Hilario, and Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio with two counts of Kidnapping and Serious Illegal Detention.
Anotado and Osorio, who were then detained at Fort Bonifacio, filed for a petition to bail this year, while Palparan and Hilario are still in hiding.
“We can’t merely expect the government to work this out. For 7 years, Palparan is at large. Oplan Bayanihan, which was Aquino’s version of Arroyo’s Oplan Bantay Laya, is still strongly implemented in the country. Members of progressive organizations suffer on harassment and surveillance. Even human rights violations, such as extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances, increased in number,” Mariel May Moralde, spokesperson of Anakbayan-Davao City, said in a statement to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Anakbayan, the group which Sherlyn is a member, has been urging the captors to surface the missing students, and for authorities to capture Palparan and the others accused in the crimes.
“A lot of youth activists were harassed and were put under surveillance. Some were even threatened and afterwards, disappeared. Cleve Arguelles, Christian Tuayon, Vencer Crisostomo, who were all members of Anakbayan, had experienced these things. Even I was red-tagged by Jake Obligado during our barricade with the Pablo victims at the DSWD last February,” Moralde said.
Moralde stressed the truth on repressing students from being active in joining progressive organizations inside universities and identifying young activists as members of the New People’s Army, just like what happened to Karen and Sherlyn.
“As long as Oplan Bayanihan continues, several will experience the same fate like Karen and Sherlyn’s. We should not allow these violations of human rights. The program was to register the call for justice and release of the two, as well as the immediate arrest of Palparan. We should not be afraid of continuing the struggle Karen and Sherlyn had supported. And to the president, who claimed to be different from the fascist puppet Arroyo, show us ‘The Butcher’ now,” she said, referring to Palparan.
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