Progressive Groups File Petition for Quo Warranto Vs Palparan

“The butcher of the victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances could never represent the marginalized and underrepresented. Living true to his monicker, Gen. Palparan is butchering the essence of partylist system by his entry in the House of Representatives.”

Thus said Cristina Palabay, Secretary General of Gabriela Women’s Party and one of the main petitioners of the disqualification case against retired Major General Jovito Palparan. Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Liza Maza and Palabay joined progressive partylist representatives and groups Bayan Muna and Ms. Erlinda Cadapan, mother of Sherlyn Cadapan, in filing their Petition for Quo Warranto against retired Major General Jovito palparan before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.

“A man of power by virtue of his being a high ranking officer of the AFP notorious for his bloody record of human rights violations can never be the representative of the marginalized and underrepresented sectors,” Maza said.

The Petition for Quo Warranto states that “Respondent Jovito Palparan, a retired Major General, is ineligible to become a nominee of Bantay partylist because he does not belong to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors Bantay purports to represent”.

The Gabriela solon cited the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Ang Bagong Bayani - OFW Labor Party vs. Ang Bagong Bayani- OFW Labor Party Go! Go! Philippines, et al. which explicitly stated that “nominees of the partylist must belong to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors. The Honorable Supreme Court has also clearly defined the qualification of a partylist nominee as “Filipino citizens belonging to marginalized and underrepresented sectors, organization, or parties”.

Bearing out Palparan’s accountability in the spate of human rights violations while he was a high ranking officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Maza also cited the Court of Appeals ruling in the case of Secretary of National Defense vs. Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo that established General Palparan’s “direct involvement” in the abduction of farmer-brothers Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo in Bulacan. Consequently, the Supreme Court affirmed the factual findings of the appellate court.

Palabay finally reiterated that “keeping tight-lipped over retired Major General Palparan’s blatant hankering to be the ‘representative’ of the marginalized and underrepresented is an all-out bastardization of the partylist system.”