JONAS ALPASAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Torture survivors Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo have filed their appeal before a Malolos court that earlier acquitted retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan and several members of the military auxiliary force earlier this month.
In a motion for reconsideration filed on Monday, Oct. 23, the Manolo brothers said they have provided sufficient evidence to prove conspiracy among the accused, and the identities and criminal liabilities of Palparan and his co-accused.
“Here, it is respectfully submitted that the Honorable Court overlooked, misunderstood, and misapplied the surrounding facts and circumstances of the case in finding that the Prosecution failed to discharge its burden of proving the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt,” the petition read.
The retired general was first convicted in 2018 over the enforced disappearance of two university students. During this time, the Manalo brothers took the witness stand as they were detained and tortured with them in various military camps in Central Luzon. While their eyewitness account led to Palparan’s first conviction, their own case failed to attain justice over the two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention with serious physical injuries charges.
Read: Malolos court acquits Palparan
Read: Impunity still persists, says tortured farmer after Palparan acquittal
Palparan’s co-accused include the Dela Cruz brothers Michael, Marcelo, Jose, Maximo, and Roman.
Master sergeant Rizal Hilario and Dela Cruz brothers Jose and Roman remain at large. The Mendoza brothers Randy and Rudy, on the other hand, both died on Mar. 29, 2010, according to the death certificate submitted before the court.
The Manalo brothers were assisted by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers. (RTS) 
