By RONALYN V. OLEA
“If it is false, it’s an insensitive and irresponsible claim designed to confuse and raise false hopes. It could be a cheap shot to incorrectly undermine the charges. But if true, which is good, it raises even more questions though.” – Edre Olalia, private prosecutor
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“If he is not guilty, why does he hide? He has to have the courage to face the truth.” – Mrs. Concepcion Empeño
Public urged to help hunt down Palparan(Photos courtesy of Karapatan)
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“We call on the Filipino people to help us prosecute Palparan for the crimes he did to our children and to other victims of enforced disappearances.” – Mrs. Concepcion Empeño, mother of missing UP student Karen.
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – “He is so shameless!” This was the reaction of Concepcion Empeño, mother of missing activist Karen Empeño on Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr.’s recent announcement about his plan to run for a partylist seat in 2013. Palparan, then commanding general of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army,…
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“While we commend the courage of the mothers of Karen and Sherlyn, now human rights defenders themselves, in pursuing the criminal case, it is equally significant that the Aquino government must take concrete steps in making the roads to justice accessible for the victims and their families.” – Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and Development
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – One of the soldiers linked to the abduction of two University of the Philippines (UP) students and his counsel was a no-show at the Department of Justice (DOJ) hearing today. Staff Sgt. Edgardo L. Osorio did not appear at the DOJ hearing on the preliminary investigation on the…
By ERICSON ACOSTA Bulatlat.com Many are surely wondering, why did the military detain Acosta? Why was he imprisoned? In what far-off corner of the islands could Barangay Bay-ang be found, and what could a writer and poet like Ericson Acosta possibly be doing there? In truth, these are vital questions, not just to the overly…
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – The soldier who has been implicated by one of the witnesses in the abduction of University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan and farmer Manuel Merino remains unidentified. During the fourth hearing on the preliminary investigation of the Department of Justice (DOJ) panel this…
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“However long this takes, we will never give up. What is important is we get justice for what was done to us. We urge newly-appointed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to act on the cases we filed that aim to seek justice for victims of human rights violations.”
– Raymond Manalo, victim of torture and arbitrary detention
By RONALYN V. OLEA
In her speech after the hearing, Mrs. Erlinda Cadapan called on President Benigno S. Aquino III, the commander in chief of the AFP, to pay attention to the cases of enforced disappearances. “These are serious crimes committed by the armed forces.”