Gabriela Women’s Party Lauds Davao City Solons

Media Release
February 22, 2010

Palparan, Alcover, persona non-grata in the city

Gabriela Women’s Party lauds the unanimous passing of a resolution by the Davao City Council declaring Jovito Palparan and Jun Alcover persona non grata after the duo repeatedly pronounced Davao City as unsafe for being a breeding ground of insurgents.

“Palparan and Alcover’s legacy of terror in Davao is responsible for the abduction, torture and cold-blooded murder of Rebelyn Pitao last year,” said Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan, first nominee and Chairperson of Gabriela Women’s Party. Pitao, a 20-year old teacher, is the daughter of New People’s Army Commander Leoncio Pitao (aka Parago).

“It is not without basis that Jovito Palparan, a retired general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, is tagged “the butcher,” by civil libertarians. He has been suspected to be behind the killings of thousands of activists and members of progressive organizations whom he accused to be members of the NPA.”

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Rep. Ilagan stressed that GABRIELA holds it against Palparan the killings and enforced disappearances of activists including women. A witness had identified Palparan as directly behind the torture and disapperance of University of the Philippine students Karen Empeno and Sheryl Cadapan.

“Palparan has not shown any respect for the most basic of human rights which is the right to life. And yet, for all the crimes he has committed against the Filipino people, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has not censured him but has instead rewarded him with promotions and special mention in her SONA. This is a telling sign of the administration’s encouragement of the culture of impunity when the likes of Palparan, who has found a kindred spirit in Alcover, can visit a city and bandy around unwelcome untruths about it ” Rep. Ilagan pointed out.

For Gabriela Women’s Party, the persona non grata declaration is a strong message to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s regime that her killing machines cannot go around the country unchallenged and unhindered in their anti-people cause.

She continued that the seats Palparan and Alcover hold in the House of Representatives threaten the institution itself as a legislative body, and that what the council of Davao City did should be emulated by other local government units to frustrate pseudo-party lists as Palparan’s BUHAY and Alcover’s ANAD from presenting their anti-people interests in the Congress.

Reference: Rep. Luz Ilagan
1st nominee and president, Gabriela Women’s Party

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