Resolution Opposing Palparan Appointment to Any Gov’t Post Back to Square One

Published on April 29, 2009

BY ANNA KRISTINA P. VIRTUSIO
Bulatlat

The resolution opposing the appointment of retired Gen. Jovito Palparan S. Jr. to any government post is back to square one.

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has referred House Resolution No. 999 back to the House Committee on Rules in the preliminary determination of referrals at the House of Representatives Committee hearing today.

Filed in February, HR 999 opposes the appointment of retired Maj. Gen. Jovito S. Palparan Jr. to any government post due to allegations of human rights violations against him.

Rep. Pedro P. Romualdo (Lakas-CMD, Camiguin), who chairs the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said his committee has no power to stop such appointments.

Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Chair Rep. Pedro P. Romualdo says allegations of human rights violations against Jovito Palparan is under the jurisdiction of human rights committee.(Photo by Charmaine P. Lirio)

“On the matter of violations against human rights, this could be on
the jurisdiction of the Committee on Human Rights,” said Romualdo.

The resolution, initiated by Bayan Muna (People First) Rep. Satur C. Ocampo, was signed by other 40 legislators from Bayan Muna, Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP), Anakpawis (Toiling Masses), Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), Nacionalista Party (NP), Lakas-CMD, Balane, Liberal Party (LP), Citizens battle Against Corruption (CIBAC), An Waray, Anak Mindanao, Kampi, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Partido Demokratiko-Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP), and Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP).

The document cited the supposed appointment of Palparan in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, earlier this year, shortly after the alleged involvement of government officials in bribery, among others, in exchange for the freedom of the “Alabang boys”, who are alleged drug users and dealers from affluent families.

Palparan has acceded to Congress as representative of the party-list group Bantay, following a Supreme Court decision junking the so-called Panganiban formula in computing the number of party-list seats.. The group represents rebel returnees, security guards and members of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU).

As stated in the resolution, the legislators oppose Palparan’s appointment to any government position “due to his reprehensible track record of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other violations of human rights and nternational humanitarian law committed mostly against activists…”(Bulatlat.com)