Two Cordilleran Tribal Leaders Believed To Have Been Victims Of Jovito Palparan

Jovito Palparan who was captured a few days ago in Sta. Mesa, Manila after more than three years of successfully evading authorities is believed to have been behind the killing and torture and disappearance of two Cordilleran tribal leaders.

It can be recalled that Palparan served in the Cordillera region from 1991 to 1994. Within this time period, Marcelo Fakilang of Betwagan, Sadanga, Mt. Province was tortured and killed (1992) while Aboli of Dallik, Bontoc, Mt. Province disappeared and was never seen again (1993).

Documents and records from the non-governmental human rights organization Amnesty International show that in the midnight of January 26, 1992, soldiers from the 68th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines arrived at the home of Marcelo Fakilang in Sadanga but when they were informed to come back in the morning, the group threatened to blow up Fakilang's house while shooting their guns into the air.

Photo: Karapatan

The soldiers returned on January 31 and seized Fakilang. They reportedly tortured Fakilang by striking him with their rifle butts and stones.