Failure to hold anyone accountable for the torture endured by Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo after being abducted and held in secret for 18 months by men under General Palparan’s command in 2006 raises serious questions yet again on the effectiveness and fairness of the justice system in the Philippines.
Jovito Palparan and his men have managed to continue evading accountability in this deplorable act of injustice, the latest in a series of horrific cases where law enforcers and state forces operate above the law, with no consequence for their actions.
The Philippine justice system needs to wake up to flagrant human rights violations committed by the police and the military. It must not turn into a system that is unfit to protect its citizens from intimidation, harassment, and threats of violence.
The Philippine justice system needs to wake up to flagrant human rights violations committed by the police and the military. It must not turn into a system that is unfit to protect its citizens from intimidation, harassment, and threats of violence.
The collapse in this supposedly landmark case marks yet another sorry milestone, a misstep in ensuring that victims of torture, extrajudicial executions, and disappearances get the justice they deserve. Without accountability, the country only takes outrageous steps backwards with the erosion of the rule of law. Human rights protections slip further away.
Watch Raymond’s story in this Amnesty International campaign video released in 2010. (Trigger warning: graphic content)