RETIRED Army Major General Jovito Palparan, tagged as “The Butcher,” was found guilty of kidnapping and serious illegal detention over the disappearance of University of the Philippines student-activists Karen Empeo and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006.
The case was promulgated Monday by Judge Alexander Tamayo of the Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 15 in Bulacan.
Palparan’s co-accused, Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Anotado and Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio, were also found guilty of the same charges.
The court sentenced Palparan and the two others to reclusion perpetua or 20 to 40 years imprisonment.
The judge also ordered them to pay P100, 000 in civil indemnity and P200, 000 for moral damages.
They will be committed to the New Bilibid Prison, as ordered by the judge.
During the promulgation, while the sentence was being read, it was reported that Palparan hurled expletives to the judge. He retorted that it doesn’t matter if they will be cited for contempt since they will be jailed anyway.
After the conviction, Palparan said he is not prepared for life imprisonment, as he denied all the accusations.
In the last four years, he was incarcerated at the custodial center of Fort Bonifacio in Taguig.
He was arrested in 2014 after years of hiding.
The two student-activists 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.
But Palparan maintained his innocence, stressing that he made efforts to locate the two girls.
Palparan, known for his massive counter-insurgency campaign against the communists, has been accused of being behind extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances of members of the New People's Army and government critics.