| Jovito S. Palparan, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the House of Representatives from Bantay Party-list | |
| In office April 24, 2009 – June 30, 2010 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jovito Salvaña Palparan, Jr. September 11, 1950 Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Political party | Bantay |
| Spouse(s) | Ma. Evangelina Gamad Flores Palparan |
| Children | Macy, JC, Martin |
| Alma mater | University of the East |
| Occupation | Soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Republic of the Philippines |
| Service/branch | Philippine Army |
| Years of service | 1973–2007 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | 7th Infantry Division 8th Infantry Division others |
| Battles/wars | Communist insurgencies Islamic insurgencies Iraq War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Stars Gold Cross Medal Gawad sa Kaunlaran Bronze Cross Wounded Personnel Medals Military Merit Medals Campaign Medals |
Jovito Salvaña Palparan, Jr. (born September 11, 1950) is a Filipino Congressman representing the Bantay party-list group in the 14th Congress of the Philippines. He is also a retired army general, who was a prominent figure in the campaign against communist insurgents in the Philippines. From July 2003 to July 2004, he was the commander of the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent in the Iraq War.
He is married to Evangelina Gamad Flores Palparan, a dentist, and they have three children.[1] They also have two dogs, Cloud and Bullet, that Palparan affectionately refers to as his children.[2]
He is currently the subject of a nationwide manhunt after being indicted for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.[3][4][5][6]
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Jovito S. Palparan, Jr. was born on September 11, 1950 in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of the East in Manila in 1971.[1]
Palparan later earned a master's degree in management from the Philippine Christian University in 1994, and a master's degree in national security administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines in 1999.[1]
Palparan was called to active duty in the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1973.[1] As a lieutenant, he served in Basilan and Sulu for eight years.[1]
He retired from his military career on September 11, 2006, his 56th birthday.[2]
Palparan was assigned in Mindoro and Romblon from May 2001 to April 2003 as commander of the 204th Brigade.
From February to August 2005, Palparan was the Commanding General of the 8th Infantry (Storm Troopers) Division in Eastern Visayas.[7] He has been credited with reducing the insurgency problem in Samar by 80 percent, and claims he could have eliminated the problem completely had he been given an extension of duty.[1] From September 2005 until his retirement in September 2006, Palparan was the Commanding General of the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division in Central Luzon.[1]
In the 2006 State of the Nation Address, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo acknowledged Palparan's successes in offenses against rebel terrorists.[1]
Palparan has been accused by organizations (who have dubbed him "The Butcher") of having a role in alleged extrajudicial abductions and killings of government critics during his military service. He has personally denied any link to any such killings, and has been cleared of rights abuses by the military through an internal, informal investigation in which no records were kept.[7][8] A probe by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights has also found that there is no direct evidence indicating that Palparan is the mastermind, but there is circumstantial evidence linking some members of the military, to the killings.[9] The Melo Report stated that, "there is certainly evidence pointing the finger of suspicion at some elements and personalities in the armed forces, in particular General Palparan, as responsible for an undetermined number of killings, by allowing, tolerating, and even encouraging the killings."[8]
Palparan was commander of the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent in Iraq, a force of 51 troops deployed in Iraq from July 2003 to July 2004. Following the withdrawal of Philippine troops from Iraq, Palparan was promoted to the rank of Major General in October 2004.
Following his retirement from the military, Palparan has become the figurehead of Bantay, a political party that advocates anti-communism causes. In the 2007 congressional elections, Bantay garnered 169,869 votes and ranked 32nd among party-list groups, which was insufficient to allow it to send any representative to congress under the formula used at the time.[10] However, in April 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that the number of seats in the House of Representatives be increased by 55, adopting a new formula for allotting seats to party list representatives. The ruling allowed Bantay to send Palparan as its representative to the House, and he was proclaimed on April 24, 2009.[11]
On December 15 2011, Jovito Palparan was indicted for 2 counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the abduction of still missing UP student activists Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno in 2006.
Despite claims that he will face all charges[12], the following day he was caught trying to leave the country[13] on December 20, 2011, stopped by a hold departure order. He was not detained since warrant was only released that afternoon and has then since disappeared. A manhunt is now on to find Palparan. A reward of P500,000 (approximately USD 10,000) has been posted for info in capturing Palparan. [14][15]
The following are medals and decorations awarded to Jovito Palparan:[1]