Witness: Palparan was behind torture, abuse of missing UP students 

The prosecution's first witness in the kidnapping case of retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. on Monday claimed that the former Army official was behind the torture and rape of two missing female UP students, a report on GMA News TV's “Balitanghali” said.

During the four-hour hearing of the Bulacan Regional Trial Court Branch 14 on Wednesday, witness Raymond Manalo positively identified Palparan as the person who was behind the disappearance of Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006.



The report said Manalo was able to provide details on how the missing students were tortured and raped under Palparan's watch. Manalo told the court he found out about the situation of the two students when he was about to bring food to their hut.

Manalo was quoted as saying in the report as saying that he saw Empeño and Cadapan being hit by hard objects while they were naked. Cadapan was also raped, according to Manalo.

Empeño's mother, Concepcion, was present during the hearing.

“Ang hapdi nang ginawa sa mga anak namin. Hindi ko matanggap. Kaya kanina nang nagte-testify si Raymond, hindi ko mapigilan ang luha ko,” she said in the report.

The defense panel is scheduled to cross-examine Manalo next week, the report said.

After three years of hiding, Palparan was arrested on August 12, 2014 in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Notorious for his alleged human rights violations on suspect communist rebels and sympathizers, Palparan has denied all the charges filed against him and stressed that the two students were members of the New People's Army.

Palparan was the commander of the Army 7th Infantry Division in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, when Empeño and Cadapan went missing.

Aside from kidnapping, Palparan is also facing serious illegal detention charges. —Trisha Macas/KBK/JST, GMA News