Verdict upheld

Jovito Palparan is a former AFP general. He was nicknamed "The Butcher" because of his bloody campaign against communists and other "enemies of the country" under the Arroyo administration. In Arroyo's State of the Nation Address (SONA) in 2006, she acknowledged Palparan's victories against the New People’s Army (NPA). But Palparan was also accused of numerous human rights violations. One of these is the case of the disappearances of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, both alumni of UP Diliman. They were accused of being members of the NPA. They were picked up by suspected military personnel in 2006.

When Palparan and four other soldiers were charged in 2011, he was caught at Clark International Airport on his way to Singapore. Prosecution witness Raymond Manolo testified the two women became victims of torture and extreme cruelty at the hands of Palparan himself. In 2018, Palparan, Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado, and Staff Sgt. Edgardo Osorio were sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes of kidnapping and serious illegal detention. Their case was appealed to the Court of Appeals.

Last March, Palparan and the two soldiers were interviewed by Lorraine Badoy, spokeswoman of the NTF-ELCAC inside the New Bilibid Prison. Badoy herself has received numerous complaints of "red-tagging" people and certain groups. Badoy's interview with Palparan lasted almost three hours. The said interview was aired on SMNI, the network owned by Apollo Quiboloy, a close friend and spiritual adviser of President Duterte. I'm not surprised.

According to Badoy, the interview was conducted "to honor and vindicate" Palparan. But this is an active case as elevated to the Court of Appeals and should not be publicly discussed based on the sub judice rule. The DOJ found lapses in the protocol of the interview and asked BuCor chief Gerald Bantag to explain. Sanctions will depend on whether Bantag’s explanation is satisfactory or not. Who gave permission because the DOJ didn't know? The BuCor is under the jurisdiction of the DOJ. Why did BuCor chief Gerald Bantag allow Badoy to talk to Palparan if the case was being appealed? These are what Bantag must explain. No surprises as to how the NTF-ELCAC operates. They do not seem to be governed by law if they serve under the pleasure and backing of the president.

As it turns out, the Court of Appeals recently affirmed the conviction of Palparan and the two soldiers but modified the lower court’s penalty. Apart from life imprisonment, they will not be eligible for parole since the death penalty for such crimes was prohibited. A welcome development for the families of the two women. So much for Badoy wanting to vindicate him. They can still bring their case to the Supreme Court but for now, they have all the time to think about how two unarmed women pose a threat to the country and why they had to be tortured, and more. To this day, they or their bodies have not been found. That is what Badoy and the entire NTF-ELCAC omit. Cadapan and Empeño are the victims, not Palparan and the two soldiers.