Palparan bounty raised to P1 million

Thursday, January 5, 2012

INCREASING reward money for information that would lead to the arrest of suspected kidnapper and former military general Jovito Palparan only underscored the government's futile efforts to hunt him, a counsel for the two missing victims said on Thursday.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima decided to increase the reward money offered by Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo from P500,000 to P1 million as a "complimentary gesture" to the ongoing manhunt against Palparan.

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She did not say where the additional P500,000 will be sourced.

"In fact, we originally thought the original bounty may not have been commensurate as an incentive given the seriousness of the offense. The manhunt should leave no stone unturned to hale him before the bar of justice, undeserving of any special treatment," Edre Olalia, secretary-general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) told Sun.Star.

Palparan, a former military general, has been accused in the enforced disappearance of University of the Philippines student-activists Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan.

Palparan has remained at large following the arrest warrant issued against him by Judge Teodora Gonzales of Malolos regional trial court branch 14, who is handling the criminal cases filed by the Department of Justice.

Also at large is Army Master Sergeant Rizal Hilario while Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Anotado and Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio surrendered to the authorities last December 20 after a warrant of arrest was issued against them.

De Lima said authorities, including the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which conducted parallel manhunt operations since mid-December last year, were getting concerned with the fugitive retired general’s continued hiding.

"If this will continue, chances of arresting him becomes slimmer and he could even be able to flee," she said.

Palparan had attempted to leave the country last year through a Singapore Airlines flight but he was offloaded by Bureau of Immigration personnel despite the expiration of a travel restraint order issued by De Lima.

However, De Lima said that Palparan already sent "surrender feelers" to the NBI, but she declined to elaborate.

Earlier, De Lima claimed that she had received death threats and this could have possibly come from Palparan, owing to his reputation as the "Butcher" or "Executioner" of members of leftist groups.

He was indicted after another torture victim, Raymond Manalo, testified that Cadapan and Empeño had been detained and tortured in a separate cell in an Army detachment in Bulacan.

Manalo further claimed that Palparan had knowledge of the two UP students since he visited them at one time. (JCV/Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)