Group presses prosecution of military officials in disappearance of UP studes

MANILA, Philippines—As the country marked International Day to End Violence Against Women, a women rights’ group  pressed the government on Friday to indict military officials over the abduction and subsequent disappearance of two University of the Philippines students.

Tanggol Bayi (Defend Women) said it was about time President Benigno Aquino and the Department of Justice fast-tracked the filing of charges against the mastermind and other suspects in the abduction of Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan.

Tanggol Bayi convenor Cristina Palabay lamented that the criminal case against retired Army Major General  Jovito Palparan and other officers was submitted for resolution on the third week of October, but the DOJ has yet to act on this.

“[Former President Gloria Macapagal] Arroyo and her henchman Palparan should immediately be prosecuted and put behind bars for these violations,” she said.

Cadapan and Empeño were abducted from a rented apartment in Hagonoy, Bulacan, at dawn on June 26, 2006,  while doing research work for peasants. Both were believed to be activists.

Palabay also observed that there were no significant developments in civil cases filed against Arroyo by the United Church of Christ of the Philippines and the “Morong 43’’ for human rights violations, and in the criminal case filed by Edita Burgos, mother of disappeared activist Jonas Burgos, against military officials.

Jonas was snatched by a group of men and a woman from the Ever Gotesco mall in Quezon City and forced into a car on April 28, 2007. He has not been seen since then.

According to the group, there were at least 1,206 victims of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution (EJKs for short) in the Philippines during the nine-year Arroyo administration. The number includes 153 women, including Empeño and Cadapan, and 476 human rights defenders.