Palace dismisses fears Duterte will grant pardon to Palparan

FILE: Retired Major General Jovito Palparan, Jr. (Photo: PTV/Facebook)

The Palace on Wednesday, September 19, dismissed the fears of the mothers of two missing University of the Philippines (UP) students that President Rodrigo Duterte will grant a pardon to retired Major General Jovito Palparan, Jr.

On Monday, Palparan along with his co-accused, Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Anotado Jr. and Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osori, were found guilty of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection to the disappearance of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño in 2006 that up to this day, they have not been found.

The Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) sentenced the three accused to reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years in prison and were each ordered to pay P100,000 in civil indemnity and P200,00 for moral damages.

Despite these sanctions by the court, the mothers of two students are still afraid that Palparan will be freed through a pardon of Duterte.

This, however, was dismissed by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr., saying that such speculations were ‘baseless.’

“Wala pong basehan iyan (That is baseless),” Roque told dzRH.

“Ang nagpakulong po kay Palparan ay gobyerno at ang gobyerno rin ang magsisiguro na mabigyan ng katarungan iyong mga biktima (The one that sought for Palparan’s indictment was the government and the government itself will make sure that justice is served to the victims),” he added.

In an interview with ANC on Tuesday, Concepcion Empeño said Palparan was being ‘idolized’ by former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo before.

“May fear ako ngayon baka sakaling, ayun nga, naging guilty siya (Palparan) ayun ang naging conviction sa kanya. Nandiyan na naman sa power si Gloria at ito pang ating Presidente, baka gagawa sila ng paraan para makawala sa krimen na nakaatang sa kanya (I have a fear that even though Palparan was found guilty, Gloria is now in power and that she and our President might find a way [to] clear him from the charges),” she added.

Meanwhile, Cadapan’s mother, Erlinda, said the President might grant Palparan a pardon since Duterte shows “more love” to the military than he does to the public.

“Pero sa pagkakataong ito hihilingin ko sa Presidente Duterte na sana, itong nangyari ngayon… Sana naman pagbigyan niya ang taumbayan na magdusa ang salarin na ito (But this time, I’m appealing to President Duterte that he will grant the public’s wish to let this perpetrator suffer),” she appealed.

Karapatan deputy secretary general Roneo Clamor earlier lauded that decision of the Malolos RTC, saying that the verdict is a step forward to justice, even though the two UP students are still missing and that there are violations that remain unresolved.

Clamor said Palparan, whom they call ‘berdugo’ or butcher, is known not only for the “killings and disappearances,” but also for “utter cruelty and inhumanity.”

“Testimonies of witnesses attest to the beatings, rape, and torture that Karen and Sherlyn were subjected to. He is a psychopath who enjoys inflicting pain on others, and should, therefore, be in jail, far away from any position that can give him any power to victimize more people,” he stressed.

Palparan will be detained at the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City. Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Ronald Dela Rosa said the former army official will not be given any “special treatment” in the prison.