Mrs. Erlinda T. Cadapan and Mrs. Concepcion E. Empeño filed criminal cases of rape, serious physical injuries, arbitrary detention and maltreatment of prisoners against retired General Palparan, Jr. and other members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines namely, Lieutenant Colonels Rogelio Boac and Felipe Anotado, 2nd Lieutenant Francis Mirabelle Samson, Master Sergeants Donald Caigas and Rizal Hilario. 

 

"The Butcher" as human rights organizations refer to Palparan, has long been linked with several human rights violations cases during his tour of command in several regions such as the brutal abduction and murder of human rights advocates Eden Marcellana and Eddie Gumanoy in Mindoro, and several cases of abductions and disappearance, killings and torture in Southern Tagalog, Eastern Visayas, and the Central Luzon regions.

 

At today's hearing, witnesses who swore to have seen Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan either being abducted by the military or was under military custody will affirm the affidavits they have executed. The military respondents are also summoned to personally appear in court.


 

"We look forward to see and face Butcher Palparan in court," Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan chairperson says, as she remembers other court cases filed before against the "Butcher" in which his name was eventually not included so those cases never prospered. In the Eden Marcellana-Edddie Gumanoy case, for instance, the DOJ , then at the time under Secretary Raul Gonzales, dismissed the case four times; the repeated dismissal led the relatives and human rights organizations to file the complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee which handed down very positive “Views” on the case in 2008; but the GMA government never complied with. “This time, we hope that the case will prosper and the violators will be made to pay for their crimes against humanity. This will be a step towards ending impunity,” Enriquez hopefully says.


 

Meanwhile, Families of Desaparecidos for Justice gathered together with the families, friends, supporters of Karen and Sherlyn and other human rights defenders in front of the DOJ to show their support to the Empeño and Cadapan families. "This is an important event for other families of the disappeared as well," Mary Guy Portajada, secretary general of Desaparecidos says. She explains that a lot more who disappeared under the command of the Butcher had no strong evidence to implicate him and his troops in court. "We hope that through this case, Gen. Palparan, Jr. will get what he deserves - imprisonment," Portajada continues. "Perpetrators of human rights violators must be made accountable and pay for their crimes. This way, victims can be served justice and the public’s confidence in government can be slowly restored," Portajada concludes. ###

Palparan and his men must face a swift trial towards imprisonment