Three senators on Monday lauded the conviction of retired General Jovito Palparan Jr. and two others for the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of two students of the University of the Philippines (UP) in 2006.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the decision of a Bulacan court sentencing them to reclusion perpetua or life sentence marked “a bright spot in an otherwise difficult judicial process,” he told reporters in an interview.
READ: FULL TEXT: The conviction of Palparan
For Senator JV Ejercito, their conviction meant a “victory” for UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño who have been missing since 2006 after being kidnapped by Palparan and his accomplices.
“Dun sa mga nabiktima, it is a victory for them. Happy ako for those human rights victims (It is a victory for the victims. I am happy for those human rights victims),” he told reporters.
“Well siguro kung sakaling final na ang conviction, dapat fair, dapat pantay-pantay, dapat sa kulungan sa Bilibid [ikulong si Palparan] (Well maybe if the conviction is final, it should be fair, he should be jailed in Bilibid),” he said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, viewed the court decision as a lesson and a warning for those who abuse human rights.
“Ang lahat ay may kabayaran. Magsilbi sana itong aral sa lahat ng sangkot sa sistematikong pamamaslang ng ating mamamayan, gumagahasa sa ating demokrasya at pilit tayo isinasailalim sa diktatura,” she said in a statement.
(Everything has a price. May this serve a lesson to all those involved in a system of killing our citizens, raping our democracy and forcing us to be ruled under a dictatorship.)
RELATED STORIES
DOJ welcomes conviction of Palparan over kidnapping of UP students
Palparan’s conviction a warning to human rights violators — lawyers, activists