Operation Palparan31 January 2012Official Statement of SAMASA Mass Organization
Retired army major general Jovito Palparan Jr and cohorts were sentenced guilty by the Department of Justice of the charges filed against them such as kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the disappearance of two UP students, Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan and farmer Manuel Merino, albeit, Palparan is still out of jail and remains fugitive after the court ordered his arrest last December 20, 2011. Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan, both students of the University of the Philippines, were abducted in Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 26, 2006 while doing their field work as a requirement for their course. Empeno was taking BS Sociology and Cadapan taking BS Human Kinetics. They were abducted by suspected soldiers under the command of Palparan, then commanding officer of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Central Luzon and were illegally detained and allegedly tortured at Palparan’s camp. As of now, Palparan who is a notorious criminal and a human rights violator and was tagged as “Berdugo and Gloria‘s Butcher” is still hiding, after a bounty of one million pesos was offered for the information leading to his arrest. The Supreme Court ordered a temporary restraining order on the issuance of Watch list and hold departure orders after he attempted to escape. His flee attempt from the authority after stating that he would face the charges against him indicates guilt of his crimes of back to back human rights violations and extra judicial killings, enforced disappearances and abductions. Six years had passed and still there is no Palparan behind bars. Justice is still not served for the victims of Palparan. Justice delayed is still justice denied as long as he remains hiding from the authority and not paying his crimes. The arrest and prosecution of Palparan will end the culture of state impunity for military abuses in the last decades in the country. This apparently shows how the educational system has been fascist in nature. Lives and freedom of innocent students are being curtailed. Universities with the existence of student movement are being regarded as garrison schools for which red baiting, surveillance among student leaders and worst abduction and extrajudicial killings are prevalent. Student movement is febrile to overthrow the unjust system at the expense of fighting for greater state subsidy for education and basic social services, genuine agrarian reform and for national industrialization. However, the existence of these human rights violations directed towards students is a systemic curtailment of basic freedom that makes education an instrument to preserve the prevailing order. By silencing those who question the unjust system, fascism prevails. END STATE IMPUNITY! END HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS! SURFACE PALPARAN! KABATAAN, IPAGLABAN ANG TUNAY NA DEMOKRASYA AT KALAYAAN, CULTURE OF IMPUNITY, IBAGSAK! | be involved |