NBI making sure ‘Butcher’ lives to serve his sentence

MANILA, Philippines–Though a Malolos judge on Wednesday ordered the detention of former Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan in the Bulacan Provincial Jail, the National Bureau of Investigation did not come running, deciding to make sure first that “The Butcher” would live to serve his sentence.

For that reason, the NBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) want to be sure that Palparan, who gained notoriety as “The Butcher” of the Arroyo administration, will not be killed in the Bulacan Provincial Jail before turning him to the authorities there.

Judge Teodora Gonzales of the Bulacan Regional Trial Court Branch 14 also ordered the NBI to present Palparan in her court immediately when the bureau returned the warrant of arrest without Palparan, who was captured by military and NBI agents in Sta. Mesa district in Manila early on Tuesday.

Gonzales also set Palparan’s arraignment for Aug. 18, at 10 a.m.

Palparan went into hiding after Gonzales ordered his arrest in December 2011 in connection with the abduction of University of the Philippines students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan on June 26, 2006.

Securing ‘The Butcher’

Human rights groups also accuse the former commander of the Philippine Army 7th Infantry Division of orchestrating the abduction and summary execution of dozens of left-wing political activists and rights campaigners in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Eastern Visayas during his term as top military commander in those regions.

It is “common knowledge, even common sense” that certain groups are bent on making Palparan pay for his alleged crimes, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told reporters yesterday.

Palparan is temporarily held in a detention cell at NBI headquarters in Manila, where De Lima said he was not getting special treatment.

“I need to say that we are not in any way according accused Palparan any special treatment here, but it also remains our duty to absolutely ensure his security because of his status as a very high-profile and controversial accused in very, very sensitive cases,” De Lima said.

“We would like to comply immediately with the commitment order of the court, but there might be constraints at this point,” she said.

If the NBI sees security problems in immediately moving Palparan to the provincial jail, it will file a manifestation in the Malolos court—a move that his lawyers may even want to make themselves, De Lima said.

“If anything happens to him, who will be blamed? Wouldn’t it be the administration? It will be another big blow,” De Lima said.

In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Palparan said communist rebels had long been planning to take him out. De Lima said the NBI would also look into threats against Palparan.

De Lima warned that certain groups might seize the opportunity to embarrass the Aquino administration.

Isolation for Palparan

Bulacan Provincial Jail warden Pepito Plamenco said the facility was ready to receive and secure Palparan.

Plamenco said an isolation room had been cleaned and prepared for Palparan as early as Tuesday afternoon.

The jail has two isolation rooms, each measuring 2.4 by 2.4 meters and has a wooden bed and a toilet. Each also has a receiving area with a wooden sofa.

A 77-year-old man charged with concubinage is detained in one of the isolation rooms, Plamenco said.

He said Palparan would be treated as an ordinary detainee in the jail. But for his safety, he would be placed in an isolation room, Plamenco said.

Conspiracy theories

De Lima decried conspiracy theories about Palparan’s capture, including an attempt to divert the public’s attention from the controversy surrounding the nullified Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

“Look at their theories. There are those who suspect that the [capture] is all for show just to cover up the DAP issue. It’s an insinuation that we are conniving with Major General Palparan. What a foolish insinuation,” De Lima said.

De Lima also said the government had started to process the release of the P2-million reward for the informant who had provided the information that led to Palparan’s capture.

Haircut

Rommel Vallejo, chief of the NBI Anti-Organized Crime Division, said the bureau would ask for assistance from the Philippine National Police and the military in transporting Palparan to another place of detention.

He said Palparan had asked for nothing except for security and a haircut.

Except for his lawyers, who came to see him on Wednesday, Palparan has received no visitors, Vallejo said.

He said Palparan was eating well and had not complained of any pain or illness since being brought in on Tuesday.

Vallejo said De Lima, NBI Director Virgilio Mendez and top military officials had met to discuss the security problem involving Palparan.

But he declined to provide details, saying he was not privy to the discussions.

Vallejo said security around NBI headquarters had been tightened to ensure Palparan’s safety.

A group of about 400 human rights activists staged a rally in front of NBI headquarters on Wednesday to demand justice for Palparan’s alleged victims.

RELATED STORIES

NBI admits difficulty in securing Palparan

Court orders transfer of Palparan to Malolos jail