Jovito Palparan
Encyclopedia
Jovito Salvaña Palparan, Jr. (born September 11, 1950) is a Filipino
Congressman
representing the Bantay party-list
group in the 14th Congress of the Philippines
. He is also a retired army general
, who was a prominent figure in the campaign against communist insurgents in the Philippines
. From July 2003 to July 2004, he was the commander of the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent in the Iraq War.
He is married to Evangelina Gamad Flores Palparan, a dentist, and they have three children. They also have two dogs, Cloud and Bullet, that Palparan affectionately refers to as his children.
. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of the East
in Manila
in 1971.
Palparan later earned a master's degree in management
from the Philippine Christian University
in 1994, and a master's degree in national security administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines
in 1999.
in the Armed Forces of the Philippines
in 1973. As a lieutenant, he served in Basilan
and Sulu for eight years.
He retired from his military career on September 11, 2006, his 56th birthday.
and Romblon
from May 2001 to April 2003 as commander of the 204th Brigade.
From February to August 2005, Palparan was the Commanding General of the 8th Infantry (Storm Troopers) Division
in Eastern Visayas
. He has been credited with reducing the insurgency problem in Samar
by 80 percent, and claims he could have eliminated the problem completely had he been given an extension of duty. From September 2005 until his retirement in September 2006, Palparan was the Commanding General of the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division
in Central Luzon
.
In the 2006 State of the Nation Address, President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
acknowledged Palparan's successes in offenses against rebel terrorists.
has also found that there is no direct evidence indicating that Palparan is the mastermind, but there is circumstantial evidence linking some members of the military, to the killings.
The Melo Report stated that, "there is certainly evidence pointing the finger of suspicion at some elements and personalities in the armed forces, in particular General Palparan, as responsible for an undetermined number of killings, by allowing, tolerating, and even encouraging the killings."
from July 2003 to July 2004. Following the withdrawal of Philippine troops from Iraq, Palparan was promoted to the rank of Major General in October 2004.
, Bantay garnered 169,869 votes and ranked 32nd among party-list groups, which was insufficient to allow it to send any representative to congress under the formula used at the time. However, in April 2009, the Supreme Court
ruled that the number of seats in the House of Representatives
be increased by 55, adopting a new formula for allotting seats to party list
representatives. The ruling allowed Bantay to send Palparan as its representative to the House, and he was proclaimed on April 24, 2009.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Congressman
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...
representing the Bantay party-list
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
group in the 14th Congress of the Philippines
14th Congress of the Philippines
The Fourteenth Congress of the Philippines was the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives...
. He is also a retired army general
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...
, who was a prominent figure in the campaign against communist insurgents in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. From July 2003 to July 2004, he was the commander of the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent in the Iraq War.
He is married to Evangelina Gamad Flores Palparan, a dentist, and they have three children. They also have two dogs, Cloud and Bullet, that Palparan affectionately refers to as his children.
Education
Jovito S. Palparan, Jr. was born on September 11, 1950 in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis OrientalMisamis Oriental
Misamis Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital and provincial center is Cagayan de Oro City...
. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of the East
University of the East
The University of the East is a private nonsectarian university located in University Belt Area, district of Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. The university was founded in 1946 as a coeducational institution...
in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
in 1971.
Palparan later earned a master's degree in management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
from the Philippine Christian University
Philippine Christian University
The Philippine Christian University is a private university along Taft Avenue, Manila. It was founded in 1946 through the initiatives of the Laymen of the Evangelical Association of the Philippines. Originally named as Manila Union University, it was renamed as Philippine Christian College...
in 1994, and a master's degree in national security administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines
National Defense College of the Philippines
The National Defense College of the Philippines is an educational, training, and research agency of the Philippine government responsible for providing continued and intensive studies of the diverse problems relating to national defense and security...
in 1999.
Military career
Palparan was called to active dutyActive duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
in the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
in 1973. As a lieutenant, he served in Basilan
Basilan
The Province of Basilan is an island province of the Philippines within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Basilan is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago and is located just off the southern coast of Zamboanga Peninsula...
and Sulu for eight years.
He retired from his military career on September 11, 2006, his 56th birthday.
Campaign against communist insurgency
Palparan was assigned in MindoroMindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
and Romblon
Romblon
Romblon is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. It lies south of Marinduque and Quezon, east of Mindoro, north of Aklan and Capiz, and west of Masbate. Its capital is also named Romblon....
from May 2001 to April 2003 as commander of the 204th Brigade.
From February to August 2005, Palparan was the Commanding General of the 8th Infantry (Storm Troopers) Division
8th Infantry (Storm Troopers) Division
The 8th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, known officially as the Storm Trooper Division, is one of the Philippine Army's Infantry units in the Visayas, combating Local Communist Units, and terrorists....
in Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas is one of the two regions of the Philippines having no land border with another region, MIMAROPA being the other, and is designated as Region VIII...
. He has been credited with reducing the insurgency problem in Samar
Samar
Samar, formerly and also known as Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catbalogan City and covers the western portion of Samar as well as several islands in the Samar Sea located to the west of the mainland...
by 80 percent, and claims he could have eliminated the problem completely had he been given an extension of duty. From September 2005 until his retirement in September 2006, Palparan was the Commanding General of the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division
7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division
The 7th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, known officially as the Kaugnay Division, is the Philippine Army's primary Infantry unit specializing in rapid deployment....
in Central Luzon
Central Luzon
Central Luzon , also known as Region III , is an administrative division or region of the Republic of the Philippines, primarily serve to organize the 7 provinces of the vast central plain of the island of Luzon , for administrative convenience...
.
In the 2006 State of the Nation Address, President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
acknowledged Palparan's successes in offenses against rebel terrorists.
Human rights issues
Palparan has been accused by organizations (who have dubbed him "The Butcher") of having a role in alleged extrajudicial abductions and killings of government critics during his military service. He has personally denied any link to any such killings, and has been cleared of rights abuses by the military through an internal, informal investigation in which no records were kept. A probe by the Philippine Commission on Human RightsCommission on Human Rights (Philippines)
The Commission on Human Rights is an independent office created by the Constitution of the Philippines, with the primary function of investigating all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights in the Philippines....
has also found that there is no direct evidence indicating that Palparan is the mastermind, but there is circumstantial evidence linking some members of the military, to the killings.
The Melo Report stated that, "there is certainly evidence pointing the finger of suspicion at some elements and personalities in the armed forces, in particular General Palparan, as responsible for an undetermined number of killings, by allowing, tolerating, and even encouraging the killings."
Iraq
Palparan was commander of the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent in Iraq, a force of 51 troops deployed in IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
from July 2003 to July 2004. Following the withdrawal of Philippine troops from Iraq, Palparan was promoted to the rank of Major General in October 2004.
Political career
Following his retirement from the military, Palparan has become the figurehead of Bantay, a political party that advocates anti-communism causes. In the 2007 congressional electionsPhilippine general election, 2007
Legislative and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 14, 2007. Positions contested included half the seats in the Senate, which are elected for six-year terms, and all the seats in the House of Representatives, who were elected for three-year terms...
, Bantay garnered 169,869 votes and ranked 32nd among party-list groups, which was insufficient to allow it to send any representative to congress under the formula used at the time. However, in April 2009, the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
ruled that the number of seats in the House of Representatives
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...
be increased by 55, adopting a new formula for allotting seats to party list
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
representatives. The ruling allowed Bantay to send Palparan as its representative to the House, and he was proclaimed on April 24, 2009.
Medals and decorations
The following are medals and decorations awarded to Jovito Palparan:- Distinguished Service StarDistinguished Service StarThe Distinguished Service Star is the third highest military award of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is awarded for eminently meritorious and valuable service rendered while holding a position of great responsibility. -Description of the award:...
s - Gold Cross Medal
- Gawad sa Kaunlaran Medal
- Bronze Cross Medals
- Wounded Personnel MedalWounded Personnel MedalThe Wounded Personnel Medal is awarded to members of and civilians employed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines who are injured or killed in combat with the enemy.- Medal :...
s - Military Merit Medals
- Campaign Medals