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Guevarra to look into Palparan's interview

Philippines | National

Guevarra to look into Palparan's interview

By Jeffrey Damicog

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra (2)

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra on Thursday, March 31, said he will look into whether retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito S. Palparan Jr., who was convicted for the disappearance of two university students and detained at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), was granted permission to be interviewed on SMNI News network.

Guevarra said “the DOJ has no knowledge about the subject of the interview but we will investigate.”

“I’m still checking if any request for permission was filed by Gen. Palparan with the court,” he said.

Palparan was convicted in September 2018 by the Malolos City regional trial court (RTC) of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in the 2006 disappearance of University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.

Last Wednesday, March 30, SMNI aired the interview of Palparan that was conducted by National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) spokesperson Lorraine Badoy.

National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) president Edre Olalia, one of the private prosecutors in the case, already questioned the interview that was conducted.

“This is not only thumbing one's nose at our justice and penal system but mocks equal protection of the law and may be laying the predicate to make him walk soon,” Olalia said in a statement.

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