THE Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said it has allowed the families of missing persons Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño to personally verify if convicted retired Army major general Jovito Palparan remains detained at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Palparan was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to reclusion perpetua for his role in the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of the two University of the Philippines students who disappeared in 2006, in cases regarded by human rights groups as enforced disappearances.
The meeting was granted by BuCor following a request from complainants Erlinda Cadapan and Concepcion Empeño, amid concerns raised over Palparan’s reported whereabouts.
NBP Superintendent Gary Garcia, in a report to BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., said the request was acted upon on the same day it was received. He said the complainants were allowed to meet Palparan for more than an hour.
“I wish they had made the request earlier so there would have been no confusion, because BuCor has always been willing to accommodate such requests and our agency is transparent when it comes to matters like this,” Garcia said.
