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Palparan 'dangerous and worst person' to lead anti-drug drive, says solon


MANILA, Philippines – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should drop her plan to get retired Gen. Jovito Palparan into the government's anti-drug campaign and instead have him investigated for the human rights violations he allegedly committed while in the Army. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. made the remark on Sunday, two days after Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita confirmed that Palparan would have a role in the government's anti-drug efforts. "I believe that it would be better for the Arroyo government to drop its plan to name Palparan as a chief enforcer of our drug laws. It is like [getting] a hammer and knocking it against one's head," Pimentel said. Pimentel tagged Palparan as "dangerous and the worst person to take a lead role in the anti-drug campaign." Pimentel's statement was posted on Sunday at the Senate Web site ("Govt told to prosecute Palparan, instead of tapping him for drug drive"). Pimentel said the Palace was afflicted with amnesia over the sins" of Palparan and seemed "impervious" to public opinion for confirming Palparan's impending appointment. "I share the fear of concerned citizens that if the controversial general will be placed at the PDEA or DDB [Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency or Dangerous Drugs Board], he would employ the dreaded tactics he used in the military in dealing with leftist activists," he said. "We cannot tolerate a situation where suspects in drug-related offenses will just disappear or be found floating in the waters of Pasig River." Pimentel berated the Arroyo administration for "coddling notorious violators of human rights" instead of heeding the call of international organizations, including the United Nations and European Union to improve its human rights record. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV
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