MALOLOS CITY—Militant groups welcomed the arrest of former congressman and retired Army General Jovito Palparan in Manila yesterday but warned against his possible special treatment.
The arrest, lawyers said, automatically gives the court
jurisdiction on Palparan and the charges filed against him. But as of press
time, no commitment order has been issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 14
here as they await until the retired general is presented physically by the
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
As this developed, Palparan is expected to be arraigned on
August 18 when the trial for kidnapping of two University of the Philippines
(UP) students resume. “Retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan is now within the
reach of the law and hopefully, Lady Justice with the sword and the scales,”
said Lawyer Edre Olalia of the National Union of People’s Lawyer (NUPL)
yesterday.
Olalia also serves as counsel for the parents of Sherilyn
Cadapan and Karen Empeno, two UP students abducted on the night of June 26,
2006 in Barangay San Miguel in Hagonoy town. According to Olalia, Palparan’s
arrest is never too late for justice to catch up.
He said that on August 18, defense counsels for Lt. Col.
Felipe Anotado and Staff Sargeant Edgardo Osorio will prepare to wrap their case,
but the trial for Palparan will only begin.“What happens thereafter will come
under close scrutiny, here and abroad.
Palparan must face the music and the full wrath of the
furies for all the crimes credibly imputed to him - extrajudicial killings, enforced
disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests and other gross human rights
violations, all done without compunction and aggravated by his signature
braggadocio,” Olalia said.
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| NBI photo release published by GMANews.tv. |
Olalia also said that based on law, Palparan should be
detained at the Bulacan Provincial Jail due to its proximity to the court. He
said that no special treatment should be given to the retired general. In the
past, the court issued the same ruling on Anotado and Osorio, but they were
transferred to Fort
Bonifacio
For his part, Father Rolando De Leon called for quick trial
against the retired general in order to hold him accountable. A member of the
militant organization in the province, Father De Leon received three M-16
bullets in early 2006 when Palparan was the commanding general of the dreaded
7th Infantry Division of the Army based in Nueva Ecija.
De Leon
had just completed the Mass and his staff were counting the offering from
collection baskets when they found the three M-16 bullets. Meanwhile, Lawyer
Jesus Santos of Marilao town remained silent until press time yesterday.
This writer tried to contact Santos by calling and sending text message to
his cellular phone in an attempt to confirm if he will represent the general.
Known for his close personal and professional relations with former First
Gentleman Miguel Arroyo, Santos
tried to represent Palparan in court in 2012 but the court said they still have
no jurisdiction on the general then.
Along with Anotado and Osorio who have been in military
custody, Palparan has been accused of kidnapping and illegal detention on the
two missing UP students. The other accused is Master Sargeant Rizal Hilario who
is said to be the right hand man of Palparan who has been labeled by militant
groups as “The Butcher.” Dino Balabo