A Malacañang spokesperson on Friday insisted that the Aquino administration is not neglecting its duty to address human rights abuses allegedly committed by government security forces. Belying an earlier pronouncement by the Human Rights Watch, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said: “Well at this point, what we can say is we obviously disagree with the Human Rights Watch in as far as their statement na hindi po kami seryoso doon sa mga effort na ito.”
Valte said that despite the government’s failure to apprehend retired Army general Jovito Palparan, efforts have been made to file case against him and hunt him down. Palparan is currently wanted for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of student activists Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006.
“Unang-una, ‘yung pagdating po kay former General Jovito Palparan. The fact na tayo po ‘yung nag-file nung kaso, pinu-pursue po natin and he is being hunted down as we speak, is proof of the determination that we have,” said Valte. She added the administration has initiated the filing of cases against suspects but it has no jurisdiction over the conviction of the same.
“Kung conviction po ‘yung pag-uusapan, ‘yung pagbaba nung hatol, hindi naman po sa Ehekutibo ‘yon. That’s not something that the President is responsible for ‘yung pagbababa ho nung hatol,” she said. She further said that on the side of the executive branch, the President is already exploring several possible courses of action on how to speed up the prosecution of perpetrators.
“Matagal na po naming napag-uusapan ito ‘pag-upo pa lang po ng Pangulo kung ano ho ‘yung pwedeng gawin from the side of the Executive to speed up at least ‘yung prosecution,” she said. “In the case of the Maguindanao massacre trial, the President did already give instructions to the prosecutors to make sure that [from] the end of the executive, we avoid any delays and that we fight any dilatory motions that may be filed,” she added.