Malolos court sentences Palparan, two others to reclusion perpetua for kidnapping, illegal detention of 2 UP students

September 17, 2018

The Malolos Regional Trial Court found retired Major General Jovito Palparan and two others guilty of two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention on Monday in connection with the disappearance of UP student Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006.

Judge Alexander Tamayo of Malolos Regional Trial Court, Branch 15, found Palparan and his co-accused Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Anotado and Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio guilty and sentenced them to suffer a penalty of reclusion perpetua.

The three were also ordered to pay the victims' families P100,000. The bodies of the two UP students have yet to be found.

"Justice may come a bit late, but it does come. Let's believe in that," Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

In an interview, CBCP ( Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines) - National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice, and Peace (NASSA-JP) Executive Secretary Father Edwin Gariguez said Palparan got what he deserved.

“Palparan deserves a guilty verdict for his monstrous crime in killing and torturing those who are in progressive movements working to defend the rights of the poor,” said Gariguez.

“The guilty verdict is justice served. He should be made accountable for his crime,” he added.

”We are only two of the many families who are happy with the court’s decision to convict Palparan. We are thankful that the courts recognized the truth in the testimonies of our witnesses, who have likewise suffered the same fate as our daughters,” said Concepcion Empeno, mother of Karen.

Palparan, whose anti-insurgency efforts were once praised by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, went into hiding in 2011 after the Malolos court issued a warrant of arrest. He  was captured in Sta Mesa on August 2014.

“We welcome the court’s decision to convict Palparan,” human rights group Karapatan deputy secretary general Roneo Clamor said, adding, “this is a step forward for justice, though partial for so long as Karen and Sherlyn remain missing and numerous other violations remain unresolved.” DMS