The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) joins the families of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno and other victims of human rights violations in calling for the capture of retired Major General Jovito Palparan. He, along with his co-accused, must immediately be brought to the bars of justice.
Major Gen. Palparan, tagged as the “Butcher”, personifies the brutality and notoriety of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration for its gross, systematic, and brazen violation of human rights. Human rights violations were wanton in the areas he was assigned. Instead of putting him to task, Palparan has been rewarded with promotion and accolades were heaped on him by the past administration. Thus, his arrest and trial will serve notice to all perpetrators of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and other gross attacks on human rights that they will be made to answer for their crimes.
For the NCCP, the way to stop the climate of impunity that is pervading in the country is to:
- “Render justice to the victims of human rights violations committed by State security forces through proper investigation and prosecution of perpetrators; that the principle of command responsibility with respect to the military hierarchy as basis for criminal liability for extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture. Government and military officers found to perpetrate human rights violations should not be entitled to any form of immunity.”
- “Reform the criminal justice system to address the pervading climate of impunity centered, in particular, on the enhancement and protection of human rights through the speedy and proper investigation, arrest, prosecution, and conviction of perpetrators.”
(“A Clarion Call To End Impunity”, NCCP General Convention, November 24, 2011)
We urge the government of President Benigno Aquino III to relentlessly pursue the arrest of Major Gen. Palparan and put him to trial even as we appeal to him to stop the human rights violations that continue under his watch. We also call on President Aquino to scrap the counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan, in particular the practice of labeling of activists as enemies of the state, and the filing of fabricated charges against those who are being tagged as the government’s enemies. Impunity will stop if past and present human rights violations will be accounted for.
We also appeal to the general public to help in the efforts to bring Major Gen. Palparan to justice. Bringing him and his other co-accused to court is a concrete step to heal this broken land.
