The news of the capture of one of the most wanted fugitives in the country bombarded the media last week. Finally, after years of evading capture, Major General Jovito Palparan, popularly known as The Butcher, as arrested.
“He is turning sixty-four on September 11. But he looks so much older than that,” said Aya Yupangco as we talked to him after he broke the news of Palparan’s arrest. Aya was the first reporter to do so.
Indeed, if you were a former acquaintance of the general and saw him walking down the street today, you would not even recognise him. Years of hiding does that to a man.
Maj. Gen. Jovito “The Butcher” Palparan before and after his arrest
Palparan rose to fame in 2006 when then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo praised him in her State of the Nation Address for his prowess in the fight against insurgency. He was based in Mindoro and Romblon as the commander of the 204th Brigade and has been attributed for the loss of almost 80% of the insurgent population in Samar alone.
FINALLY, AN ARREST
Chief Rommel Vallejo of the Anti-Organized Crime Division was the head of operations in bringing the wanted fugitive to justice, finally. He told us that they have been tracking Palparan’s movements across different regions since last year. Until, after much verification, an informant tipped them of Palparan’s location in Old Sta. Mesa. The arrest was a joint National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine National Police (PNP) joint operation.
“He was wearing jeans, black shoes, a grey polo, and a grey jacket when we brought him in. He was sleeping when we barged in and arrested him. Where he was staying, on the second floor above a bakery at the corner of V. Mapa, he would have been bumping shoulders with PUP students and residents on a regular basis,” he said.
Chief Vallejo also told us that the general appears to be sick. “He requested a certain medicine for his heart,” he said.
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
General Palparan is wanted for human rights violations regarding his conduct in battling insurgency during his time. He has been accused of extrajudicial abductions and in December 2011, was indicted in two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention. His victims were UP students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan.
After his arrest, we got the chance to talk to the parents of these students on DWIZ 882khz.
OVERJOYED
Mrs. Connie Empeño was overjoyed upon hearing of the arrest. Her daughter, Karen, was a Sociology student in UP Diliman. Mrs. Empeño tells us that Karen was finishing her thesis that required her to go to Hangonoy, Bulacan to the leader of the Kilusang Mabubukid ng Bulacan, Tatay Lorino.
“She was 22 years old when she was abducted. It was our dream to have her finish her studies in UP. But she wasn’t able to because they took her from us,” she said.
According to Mrs. Empeño, a witness told them that Karen and Sherlyn were suspected by the army to be New People’s Army (NPA) members. Hence, they were abducted, killed, and later on, their bodies were burned.
We were also able to talk to Mrs. Linda Cadapan, mother of Sherlyn, and she has this to say about the arrest:
“I hope he realises that the crimes he’s accused of are now only crimes against man, but also against God. Now that the government has him, I hope they take all the care in the world to hold him in custody and keep him from escaping. He has to answer for all that he’s done,” she said.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Society prepares the crime, the criminal commits it” — Henry Thomas Buckle
“Communism is the corruption of a dream of justice.” — Adlai E. Stevenson