Retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, one of the top five most wanted personalities in the Philippines, has been arrested early Tuesday at a house in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Palparan, 63, was arrested by a composite team of the National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Organized Transnational Crimes Division (NBI-AOTCD) and Armed Forces of the Philippines Naval Intelligence Group by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by the Malolos regional trial court on charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention of University of the Philippines students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006.
Palparan, who has a bounty of P2 million on his head, went into hiding in December 2011. At the time of the alleged abduction, he was commander of the Army 7th Infantry Division based in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Palparan will be temporarily detained at NBI to await commitment order from RTC Malolos, which has jurisdiction over the former military officer’s case.
Palparan, dubbed ”The Butcher” by activists and human rights groups, is also facing other charges for his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings.
