Arroyo must pay for reassigning Palparan and spreading human rights violations--CPP

September 8, 2005

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today said Gloria Arroyo "will pay for reassigning her favorite 'ultra-fascist' general to spread human rights violations from one region to another." CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal was referring to the transfer this August of Brig. Gen. Jovito Palparan to head the 7th Infantry Division based in Nueva Ecija in the wake of widespread human rights abuses in his former place of assignment. Palparan used to be chief of the Eastern Visayas-based 8th Infantry Division. Rosal said that Palparan's assignments reflect a pattern whereby political and military decision-makers at the highest levels foist him on suspected revolutionary areas where he can wreak maximum damage. "Para siyang balang na palipat-lipat kung saan may maluluray pang mga tanim matapos ubusin sa isang lugar." (He can be likened to a swarm of locusts that finds new crops to ravage after wiping out the harvest in the place they came from.) Palparan has been accused by human rights organizations, mass organizations, party-list organizations and other concerned people of masterminding widespread human rights abuses especially in Eastern Visayas and Mindoro. "The people demand Palparan's punishment," said Rosal."Palparan's commander-in-chief Gloria Arroyo must likewise be held accountable for every drop of blood that has been and continues to be spilled by the criminal and brutal war perpetrated by her favorite general and his shadowy death squads as well as by regular AFP troops and paramilitary forces." Rosal, however, said that despite the brutality and widespread terror sowed by Palparan in Eastern Visayas, Mindoro and other areas, the people and their New People's Army dauntlessly move forward in their revolutionary armed struggle." "Palparan has failed to defeat the revolutionary forces in Eastern Visayas in six months, as he has boasted. He failed in Mindoro. He failed wherever else he tried to destroy the revolutionary movement, its mass base and the people's rights. He will fail in his war in Nueva Ecija and Central Luzon," said Rosal.

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553

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