MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino may accept fugitive Jovito Palparan if the former general decides to surrender to him, a Palace official said yesterday.
“Maybe if it happens again, it seems that the President would not hesitate to say yes,†deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told state-run radio dzRB, referring to Palparan’s earlier statement that he wanted to talk to the President before he surrenders.
Valte, however, said the President’s readiness to accept fugitives will still be on a “case-to-case basis.â€
Previous reports quoted Aquino as saying that he committed a mistake when he refused to meet with Palparan.
Valte said the President shared his experience with Palparan to explain his decision to accept pork barrel scam suspect Janet Lim-Napoles, who surrendered to him last Wednesday.
Aquino’s decision to meet with Napoles before she was brought to police custody has been criticized by various sectors, saying she is being given undue special treatment.
Napoles has been accused of conniving with lawmakers to channel billions of congressional pork barrel funds to bogus non-government organizations and ghost projects. Napoles’ lawyers said she had surrendered to the President due to alleged threats to her life.
Palparan has been tagged in the disappearance of student activists Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno in 2006.
Activists have labeled Palparan as a human rights violator, but anti-communist groups think he is being demonized by left-leaning sectors.
The Malolos Regional Trial Court has issued a hold departure order against Palparan after he had been indicted for the students’ disappearance.
Tracker teams have been formed to look for Palparan and his co-accused, military personnel Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado Jr., S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio and M/Sgt. Rizal Hilario.
The government has offered a P2 million-reward for information that would lead to Palparan’s arrest.