De Lima: SC decision helps in probe of military men

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday said the Supreme Court decision ordering the military to free three missing activists “could probably help” in her department’s probe into criminal charges against retired and active military officers linked to the disappearances.

De Lima has formed a panel to look into the complaint.

Human rights lawyers helping the families of the activists said the court ruling would strengthen the case against retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. and the others.

However, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) also deplored the exclusion of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her former top generals from those identified by the court as possibly responsible for the disappearances.

“The assertion of NUPL is that Mrs. Arroyo personally knew of, and could have prevented, the disappearance because of her administration’s policy, Oplan Bantay Laya,” NUPL secretary general Edre Olalia said, referring to the military’s counterinsurgency program.

“She and her generals tacitly knew, approved, tolerated, supervised, managed, induced or ordered the operations which have resulted in the disappearance of hundreds of civilians,” Olalia said.