Court denies Palparan’s bid for extension

Jovito Palparan Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Calling their excuses “flimsy,” the Court of Appeals (CA) has denied the bid of the lawyers of fugitive retired Gen. Jovito Palparan and two other military officers for an extension of their time to question their prosecution in connection with the disappearance of two University of the Philippines (UP) coeds.

In an Oct. 18 resolution, the special 16th Division of the appellate court threw out the request of Palparan’s lawyers to give them until Oct. 25 to file a petition for certiori or judicial review of the ruling of the Bulacan Regional Trial Court to continue with their trial for the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan. Both students remain missing to this day.

Palparan’s camp had sought a review of the ruling of Judge Teodora Gonzales of April 3 which denied the petition of Palparan, M/Sgt. Rizal Hilario and S/Sgt. Eduardo Osorio to quash their arrest warrants and hold-departure orders. It also asked the court to conduct a preliminary investigation into the charge that they were behind the 2006 disappearance of the two student-activists.

On July 19, the Bulacan judge also dismissed the motion for reconsideration filed by Palparan’s camp and gave them 60 days or until Oct. 15 to petition the appeals court.

But it was only on Oct. 14 that Palparan’s camp asked the CA to grant a 10-day extension to file the certiorari, or until Oct. 25,  because of their “heavy work load.”

The appellate court denied the petition, saying the Rules of Court disallow any extension of time to file a petition for certiorari.  Christine O. Avendano

Originally posted: 8:53 pm | Sunday, October 28th, 2012