Palace aide: Trial by publicity inevitable for Palparan

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang said Thursday it could not be helped that retired Major General Jovito Palparan would suffer some trial by publicity after he tried to flee the country despite having criminal complaints filed against him.

“Well, it’s inevitable,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said at Thursday regular news briefing in Malacañang.

“Retired General Palparan tried to run away, so this couldn’t be prevented. It’s not because this is being made to be highly publicized or highly sensational but it couldn’t prevented from landing in the papers especially if a prominent person tries to run away from facing the charges against him,” she added.

Valte was asked to react to a statement issued by the Association of Generals and Flag Officers that the retired general was being made to look like a serial murderer in the media and was being subjected to trial by publicity.

Palparan is the subject of a warrant of arrest issued by a Bulacan court following the filing of kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges against him in connection with the disappearance in 2006 of UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño.