‘Butcher’ hunted by AFP.

Palparan must confront charges, says De Lima
By Philip C. Tubeza, TJ Burgonio, Tonette Orejas
Inquirer Central Luzon, Philippine Daily Inquirer

  CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—A fugitive from the law for the past six days, retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. is besieged on many fronts.

The National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police are after Palparan to make him and three others stand trial for the kidnapping of two University of the Philippines students in Hagonoy, Bulacan, in June 2006.

Now, even the Armed Forces of the Philippines is helping hunt the man tagged by activist groups as “Berdugo” (Butcher), for the scores of activists and ordinary citizens killed, abducted and injured during his tour of duty.

“We will try our very best to help arrest him in support of the PNP,” Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa, the AFP chief of staff, said in a phone interview from Davao City on Friday.

Asked to confirm if the military was helping track down Palparan, Dellosa said: “Since he is a fugitive, he can be arrested. We can assist the PNP through the joint peace and security coordinating center.”

Dellosa also said the military had complied with the request of the Department of Justice to be on the lookout for the fugitive and to prevent him from leaving the country. “So far, we’ve published lookout bulletins,” he said.

On Dec. 19, warrants for the arrest of Palparan and three others were issued by Bulacan Regional Trial Court Judge Teodora Gonzales in connection with the 2006 kidnapping of UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño.

The AFP provost marshal had helped arrest two of the coaccused, Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado and S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio. Both active in the service, the two were remanded to police custody in Camp Crame on Dec. 20.

M/Sgt. Rizal Hilario, the third coaccused, is at large like Palparan.

Hilario is said to be Palparan’s right-hand man. He used a number of aliases, former Bulacan Gov. Josefina de la Cruz said in an interview after five residents of San Jose del Monte City went missing in 2005.

Palparan had earlier said he should not be charged with kidnapping because he was not a private person but an Army commander when Cadapan and Empeño went missing. He retired as commander of the 7th Infantry Division in Central Luzon in September 2006.

Read full article @ newsinfo.inquirer.net