GENERAL ON THE RUN Militants hold up wanted posters of retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. along the Philcoa pedestrian overpass at the entrance of UP Diliman in Quezon City where missing UP students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan used to study before they were abducted in 2006. Palparan has gone into hiding after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest last week. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
A bounty of P500,000 has been put up by the government for the capture of retired Major General Jovito Palparan Jr., Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said Tuesday.
Palparan is the target of an arrest warrant issued by the Bulacan Regional Trial Court for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of two University of the Philippines student activists in 2006.
Robredo said in a text message that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and the Department of the Interior and Local Government were “offering reward money of P0.5 million to anyone who will be able to provide information” leading to Palparan’s arrest.
“We presume surrender feelers are off,” Robredo said when asked what prompted the raising of the bounty.
Questioned if this meant the Palparan camp had indicated he would no longer give up, Robredo said: “Not really. But after a week, unless he communicates with the government again, we presume he is not surrendering anymore.”
Philippine National Police Director General Nicanor Bartolome told reporters the information the PNP had gathered showed that Palparan was still in the country.
He would not reply categorically when asked whether Palparan was in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao, saying only that “the important thing is he has not left the country.”
Asked if Palparan’s arrest was imminent, Bartolome replied: “Hopefully.”
He said the PNP was treating each piece of information carefully and that the reward money should encourage people to help flush him out.
Bartolome’s assurance
Bartolome said the Palparan camp had sought the PNP’s assurance he would be in safe hands if he is taken into custody.
Emissaries for Palparan wanted an assurance his security would not be compromised, Bartolome said. “We assure them that he will be properly secured,” he said.
He said Palparan, who had gone into hiding since the court ordered his arrest in connection with the disappearance of activists Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan, had no reason to fear for his life if he was taken into PNP custody.
Bartolome confirmed receiving feelers from Palparan’s camp about his possible surrender.
“Yes, we have also received surrender feelers. We are talking to some people,” Bartolome said. “We will always give this consideration, all this information we are getting from the community and from those who would like to negotiate.”
‘We’ll find him’
Bartolome said the emissaries had been talking to his subordinates but not directly to him.
“We’re always hopeful that he will come out to face the charges. If not, we will find him,” Bartolome said.
Malacañang welcomed Palparan’s reported surrender feelers.
“It will certainly ease the burden of looking for General Palparan if he would voluntarily surrender to people he is comfortable with,” said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.
In a motion filed on December 22, Palparan asked the court to recall the arrest warrant and hold-departure order issued against him and to conduct a new preliminary investigation of his case for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
Palparan claim
In the motion filed by lawyer Narzal Mallares, Palparan said the charges against him were not those for which he and his coaccused were investigated by the prosecutors.
Palparan said he and other accused were investigated for rape, serious physical injuries, arbitrary detention, maltreatment of prisoners, grave threats, grave coercion and violation of the international convention against torture.
He said the filing of the cases against them “reeks of persecution.”
“Clearly, (our) rights to due process and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against (us) were violated,” he said.
Prosecutor Juan Navera rejected Palparan’s claim, saying: “There’s no persecution. We gave him and the other respondents every opportunity [to answer the charges].”
Cadapan, Empeño, and a certain Manuel Merino were abducted by suspected military men in Hagonoy, Bulacan, in June 2006 on suspicion they were members of the communist New People’s Army.
Fearing Palparan had already left for abroad, the migrant rights group Migrante urged the administration to launch an international manhunt for him. With reports from Jerome Aning, Norman Bordadora and Philip C. Tubeza in Manila, and Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon
Originally posted at 02:42 pm | Tuesday, December 27, 2011