Mothers of missing University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan hit the media interview of retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr.
Palparan in 2018 was found guilty of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in the 2006 disappearance of Karen and Sherlyn.
On Wednesday, March 30, Palparan was interviewed by Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, which was aired on Pastor Apollo Quiboloy's SMNI.
"It is nauseating, to say the least, to see Palparan and this Badoy trying so hard to salvage the face of the 'berdugo' (butcher) for two hours when Palparan is now a convicted criminal," Concepcion Empeno, mother of Karen, lamented.
"The courts have convicted him, with overwhelming evidence and witness testimonies, for taking away our daughters. What a travesty of justice!" Empeno added.
In the two-hour interview, Badoy said the interview was done to "vindicate" Palparan, claiming that he was a victim of "trumped-up charges."
Meanwhile, Empeno questioned why the interview was allowed in the first place.
"They gave the convicted Palparan all the freedom to speak to the public. How about our daughters, did he give them a chance to speak and defend themselves? No! They remain missing to this day, for 15 years, while Palparan is alive and well," Empeno said.
"To this day, Palparan continues to vilify our daughters and justify their abduction and disappearance. We say again, with the strongest conviction, that never should any person be subject to enforced disappearance," Erlinda Cadapan, mother of Sherlyn, said.
Cadapan likewise slammed the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), saying it "is mocking the partial justice" they attained by holding Palparan accountable for the disappearance of their daughters.
Cadapan also appealed to the next Philippine president to abolish the NTF-ELCAC and to help the victims of killings, enforced disappearances, and other rights violations.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Thursday, March 31, that the Department of Justice will conduct an investigation into the television interview of Palparan who is currently detained at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.