Only one of 2 in Palparan hideout to be charged

Only one of two people caught with retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan (pictured) in his hideout in Sta. Mesa, Manila, on Tuesday will be charged with harboring a fugitive and obstruction of justice, according to a source from the National Bureau of Investigation. AP

MANILA, Philippines–Only one of two people caught with retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan in his hideout in Sta. Mesa, Manila, on Tuesday will be charged with harboring a fugitive and obstruction of justice, according to a source from the National Bureau of Investigation.

The source, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak on the subject, identified the two as Grace and Reynaldo Roa.

Only the woman will be prosecuted for hiding Palparan, the source said, as the man showed a plane ticket to prove that he arrived in Manila on Monday and knew nothing about Palparan’s presence in the house.

The source did not say where the man had been before returning to Manila.

The two are still under NBI custody, undergoing questioning about their involvement with Palparan, the source said.

A neighbor who lived just meters away from Palparan’s hideout told the Inquirer that Grace Roa owned the house.

“I have known her for years and I know she owns the place,” said the neighbor who asked not to be identified.

“We used to talk a lot and we even got to go to her house, but lately I noticed she was evasive and stopped inviting us,” the neighbor said.

The neighbor also said she never saw Palparan and did not know that he was hiding in Roa’s house.