Palparan faces sentencing for 2006 kidnapping

MANILA, Philippines — Detained former Army major general Jovito Palparan Jr. would finally be judged before the Malolos regional trial court (RTC) in Bulacan during his promulgation on Monday for the kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges filed against the controversial military officer in connection with the disappearance of two University of the Philippines (UP) students in 2006.

In a notice sent by the Malolos RTC to the Army, the court ordered the military to present the accused Palparan, Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado, Jr. and Staff Sgt. Edgardo Osorio before the court on Monday.

Papalaran is currently detained at the Army Custodial Center in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig for his alleged role in the abduction and illegal detention of UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.

Unidentified armed men wearing bonnets seized Cadapan and Empeno in a house in Barangay San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 26, 2006.

At the time of their abduction, Cadapan, a triathlete, was a senior sports science student while Empeno was taking up sociology in UP Diliman. The bodies of the two have yet to be found.

Palparan was then the commander of the 7th Infantry Division and leftist groups tagged him as the brains behind the abduction and disappearance of the two students who were suspected as members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

When the case was filed against him and the court issued a warrant for his arrest, Palparan went into hiding and was arrested in Sta. Mesa, Manila in 2014.

At the time when he went into hiding Palparan had already retired from the service after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 four months after the disappearance of Empeno and Cadapan.

Following his arrest, Palparan was initially detained at the Bulacan provincial jail but due to mounting security concerns, the court granted the request of his counsel that he be detained at the Army Custodial Center at Fort Bonifacio.

Palparan continues to maintain his innocence over Empeno’s and Cadapan’s disappearance, saying he has no knowledge whatsoever of the kidnapping and illegal detention cases filed against him.

Leftist groups tagged Palparan as the culprit while his colleagues within the military looked up to him with high esteem for being, as they described him, a no-nonsense and a dedicated officer.