|
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Palparan attends habeas corpus hearing, denies abduction charge
A DAY after snubbing the Melo Commission’s hearing, retired Major General Jovito Palparan on Wednesday finally showed up at the Court of Appeals (CA), which is hearing the petition for habeas corpus filed by the family of two missing University of the Philippines (UP) student activists.
Palparan, blamed for the spate of extrajudicial executions and for which he earned the “berdugo (executioner)” tag, denied that he was behind the abduction of Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan, who have been missing since last July along with farmer Manuel Merino.
Donning a dark blue jacket over his shirt and slacks, the controversial former commanding general of the Army's 7th Infantry Division, finally appeared before the justices of the CA's 11th Division, which threatened to cite him in contempt for his previous non-appearances.
He took the witness stand and was questioned for nearly two hours by Attorney Rex Fernandez, counsel of the parents of Empeno and Cadapan.
Fernandez asked Palparan about the methods he had used in locating and dealing with communist forces.
"I'm not sure of these guidelines as mandated by my job. For tactical operations, we leave it to commanders in the field. There's no standard from my command but it comes out in the process of looking for enemies," he said.
Despite the court’s repeated requests for the petitioners' lawyer to zero in on Palparan’s involvement in the alleged abduction, Fernandez continued his line of questioning.
Palparan was asked about claims he made in GMA-7's "Debate" show that the Bayan Muna and the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas groups were fronts for communist operations but he only replied that he did not recall making such statements.
"What I’ll be saying puts me in a dilemma. This is not what I’m here for," he said when asked whether he had had persons abducted because they were considered “enemies of the state”.
He however admitted receiving weekly reports from his troops on alleged communists in his area in Nueva Ecija.
Fernandez then asked the CA to require Palparan to bring a copy of the reports, specifically for the week of June 24 to July 1, when Cadapan and Empeno disappeared.
Palparan said he first heard of the two UP students from media reports, after which he ordered his men to investigate the matter.
He was then given a verbal report on the abduction of "Ka Tanya" and "Ka Lisa," who were allegedly collecting revolutionary taxes. He however could not state whether those were indeed the missing UP students.
Palparan frther denied that he has been hunting down persons affiliated with a group which the military has deemed as a mere front of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
"I think we’re talking about front organizations. This is psychological warfare. These fronts are posing to be legal but underground (they conduct their communist operations). I don’t want to put myself to these questions as to what these front organizations are," he said, as de denied calling the groups as "enemies of the state."
The CA has scheduled the continuation of the hearing next month.
Other respondents in the case include Major General Romeo Tolentino, commanding officer of Northern Luzon Command; Lieutenant Colonel Rogelio Boac, commanding officer of Task Force Bulacan; Lieutenant Francis Mirabelle Samson and a certain Arnel Enriquez.
Tight security accompanied Palparan's arrival at the CA amid a statement of the New People's Army (NPA) that he is fit for execution. A six-wheeler truck carrying Marine personnel was seen parked along UN Avenue, a short distance from the CA compound.
A small contingent from the Manila Police District was also detailed at the main gate of the CA to prevent a group of placard-bearing protesters belonging to the League of Filipino Students from entering the premises.
The group said Palparan's appearance at the CA should serve as "payback time" for him to answer to the heinous crimes he allegedly committed. "We couldn’t wait to see how Palparan will defend himself before the court and the families of the victims," said LFS chair Vencer Crisostomo.
Meanwhile, Malacañang encouraged Palparan to show up in the next hearing of the Melo Commission to avoid suspicions that he could be involved in the extrajudicial killings and even be hiding something.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said while Palparan is already a private citizen and the no longer under the chain of command’s control, they urge him not to ignore the commission’s invitations.
Ermita added that Malacañang has no hand in his decision to snub Tuesday’s hearing.
Palparan was a no show in Tuesday’s hearing of the commission headed by former Supreme Court (SC) associate justice Jose Melo. Reports said his absence and the lack of a quorum on the part of the commission led to the postponement of the hearing for next week. (ECV/JMR/Sunnex)
(September 21, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
