Palparan aide tagged in abduction of 2 UP students

MANILA, Philippines—A Philippine Army sergeant was included among the respondents in the abduction case filed by the mothers of missing University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño against retired military general and former congressman Jovito Palparan.

At the Department of Justice preliminary hearing on Friday, Erlinda Cadapan and Concepcion Empeño, represented by lawyers from the National Union of People’s Lawyers, filed an amended complaint to include Staff Sgt. Edgardo Osorio for being one of Palparan’s henchmen who abducted the two students in June 2006.

A witness, farmer Wilfredo Ramos, tagged Osorio after seeing him with Palparan at the DOJ during the hearing on July 19. Ramos said Osorio was “intimidating and eyeing him” during the proceedings.

Osorio’s identity was confirmed by Col. Herbert Yambing, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ provost marshal general.

Yambing, however, said Osorio was assigned to the Army’s personnel management center in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, at the time of the students’ abduction. Palparan, on the other hand, was assigned to the Army’s 9th Infantry Divisoin based in Nueva Ecija at that time.

This prompted NUPL secretary-general, lawyer Edre Olalia, to tell reporters that it was “highly probable” that there was a deliberate attempt to make it appear that Osorio was not in the place where the crime was committed.”

“We took note of Yambing’s submission but we do not admit its veracity,” Olalia said.

Palparan, who was present in the hearing, defended Osorio, saying the latter was only assigned to him as a security detail during the first three hearings at the DOJ.

“This soldier is innocent. I just requested additional security for myself … so he was given to me. I don’t know him exactly. So this time, he’s now a respondent. It only shows that our opponents here are into fishing expeditions. It’s very unreasonable,” Palparan told reporters.

Palparan and five other respondents are accused of serious physical injuries, arbitrary detention, maltreatment of prisoners, grave threats, and grave coercion.

Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera ordered Osorio to submit his counteraffidavit in the next hearing on Aug. 31.