MANILA (Updated) -- A Bulacan court has found Retired Army Major General Jovito Palparan guilty of kidnapping and serious illegal detention over the disappearance of University of the Philippines student-activists Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006.
His co-accused, Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Anotado and Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio, were also found guilty of the same charges by Judge Alexander Tamayo of the Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 15.
The three were sentenced to reclusion perpetua or 20 to 40 years imprisonment and were ordered to pay P100,000 in civil indemnity and P200,000 for moral damages.
Tamayo ordered that the three be committed to the New Bilibid Prison.
With regard to another accused, Master Sergeant Rizal Hilario, the Malolos RTC ordered the case against him archived. Hilario remains at large.
Empeno and Cadapan have been missing since June 26, 2006 after they were abducted in a house in Hagonoy, Bulacan, by a group of armed men allegedly led by Palparan.
Palparan, known for his massive counter-insurgency campaign against the communists, was tagged as "the butcher" by the leftist groups.
He has been accused of being behind extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances of members of the New People's Army and government critics. (SunStar Philippines)