Trillanes defends Palparan, says ex-military officer was only following orders

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Photo by INQUIRER.net's Noy Morcoso III

MANILA, Philippines – Fugitive and retired Major General Jovito Palparan only followed orders during his time in the military which meant his superiors who should be persecuted.

“The reputation of Palparan in the military is he just did his job. Why is he being persecuted if he only did his job?” Senator Antonio Trillanes IV asked during a roundtable interview with Inquirer Bandera, the tabloid publication of the Inquirer Group of Companies (IGC) Thursday.

Palparan is currently facing charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention for the 2006 disappearance of University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno in Bulacan.

Palparan also earned the reputation of being a “butcher” for the many human rights abuses he has allegedly committed.

“If what he did was illegal, why wasn’t he reprimanded by his superiors?” Trillanes said.

“Palparan should not be the one to be persecuted, it should be those who gave orders to him,” he added.

Palparan is currently the subject of a manhunt by authorities and has a P1 million bounty on his head.