MANILA, Philippines -- Fugitive retired general Jovito Palaran will not surrender and will continue challenging the warrant for his arrest, one of his lawyers said Friday.
Palparan’s newly hired counsel, Jesus Santos, insisted his client is "innocent" of the abduction and enforced disappearance of University of the Philippines students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.
Santos was the lawyer of Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
He said the government would be better off using the P1 million reward it has raised for Palparan’s capture for assisting the families of soldiers killed in the line of duty.
Short of advising his client to remain in hiding, Santos said that, "as a lawyer and as an individual, since there is a petition we filed in court to conduct the preliminary investigation because the arrest warrant was issued not in accordance with law, I think it is good to wait for whatever maybe the decision of the Regional Trial Court of Bulacan," where the case against Palparan has been filed.
As for surrendering, Santos said, “that’s a personal decision which he must do.”
But the lawyer of the missing students said Palparan should give up and face trial because "any statement, act or omission that has the effect of unjustified defiance of the law cannot be countenanced."
Olalia, secretary general of the National Union of People's Lawyers, justified the P1-million bountry against Palparan, saying this was intended "to help in the big step against what is widely held as (the) impunity that has pervaded for the longest time and is not mutually exclusive of other equally or even more worthy pursuits."
Asked if Palparan was being harbored by supporters, Santos replied, “Many people love Jovito Palparan.”
"As he is being hated by activists who I think have not yet done something good for our country, many people love general Palparan," he added.
He also noted that Palparan was commander of the 24th Infantry Battalion in Central and Northern Luzon for several years and has many friends in the military.
Palparan, one of former President Arroyo's favorite generals, has been dubbed “The Butcher” by those who accuse him of the extrajudicial murders, disappearances and torture of activists in places he was assigned to while in the service.
Santos also denied speculation Mike Arroyo has anything to do with his defending Palparan.
He said it was Palparan’s family that sought his service and that he and the retired general had never met yet.
Asked why he agreed to join Palparan’s defense team Santos said: "I must accept cases that I believe should be defended and besides, General Palparan helped us in our campaign against illegal logging when he was commander in Central Luzon way back 1984 to 1987. That's why the people of Bulacan love him," Santos said.
"Had it not been for his help, the watershed in Angat Dam would have been denuded," Santos, who hails from Marilao in Bulacan, said.
The lawyer lamented that, despite all the good he said Palparan has done for the country, the former general was being hunted down.
"He is now being persecuted by a government to which, as a soldier, he has selflessly risked his life and his family for our country," he said. "What we are seeking here is not mercy, but justice.”
