Sunday, September 10, 2006
Palparan appointment 'not yet final'
MANILA -- Despite last Friday's announcement by Malacañang, controversial Major General Jovito Palparan Jr. is not yet officially the National Security Council (NSC) deputy director for counter-insurgency.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita admitted Saturday that the paperwork on Palparan's appointment is not yet complete and may take a few days before it is "finalized."
"We will know with finality in the next few days but as of now there is no official document appointing him to any position," said Ermita, who sent off President Arroyo and a Philippine delegation on a four-nation trip, in an interview on radio station dzRH.
Malacañang "rewarded: Palparan Friday with an advance birthday gift with a security council post.
Palparan turns 56 on September 11 and is due to retire from the military.
Two militant congressmen have denounced the appointment of Palparan to the NSC as deputy for the anti-insurgency campaign.
Leftist groups had accused Palparan of masterminding the extra judicial killings of activists and journalists, including Central Luzon and the Visayas where he was assigned, thus earning him the "berdugo (executioner) tag.
Ermita said the appointment of Palparan to the NSC was not taken up in the Cabinet but only in the "inner circle" of the Cabinet's national security cluster.
"It was not necessarily discussed in the Cabinet. It was discussed in the inner circle of the national security cluster. The cluster talks of key issues like this," he said.
Meanwhile, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teodoro Casiño would only mean more killings, abductions, witch hunting and human rights abuses since Palparan will soon have his national policy making powers.
"He will now have more powers, including that of national policy making powers, not unlike when he held the 7th Division post. He'll even have power and influence over civilian agencies," the congressman said.
This was echoed by another Bayan Muna party-list congressman, Satur Ocampo, who believed that the appointment of the controversial general "is a perverse gift" to the general and to Roberto Gonzales, chairman of the NSC, as well.
"Palparan's designation as national security adviser to Bert Gonzales is both a GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) perverse gift to Palparan and Gonzales. And a mutual reinforcement of anti-left bigots," Ocampo said.
His appointment, Ocampo added, only signaled that the worse is yet to come in the case of human rights situation in the country.
Ocampo said Palparan's appointment would also mean hell to those critical of the government and its policies and programs.
Casiño and Ocampo vowed to oppose Palparan's appointment when he faces the Commission on Appointments. (Sunnex)
(September 10, 2006 issue)
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