MANILA — The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) allowed complainants in the case involving retired general Jovito Palparan to personally meet him and verify that he remains detained at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

In a report submitted Thursday to BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., NBP Superintendent Gary Garcia said complainants Erlinda Cadapan and Concepcion Empeño, together with their lawyers, were granted a meeting with Palparan that lasted for more than an hour.

Garcia said the request letter was received and acted upon on the same day, which he said demonstrated the agency’s immediate response to such concerns.

“Sana noon pa nag-request na sila para hindi na nagkaroon ng kalituhan, dahil willing naman ang BuCor at transparent ang aming ahensya pagdating sa mga ganyang bagay (They should have asked earlier so we could avoid confusion as BuCor remains transparent about these matters),” Garcia explained.

According to Garcia, Palparan has long been housed at the Minimum Security Compound, even before Catapang assumed leadership of BuCor. He said the arrangement was made for security reasons because inmates with different political affiliations are detained at the Maximum Security Compound.

A team of special investigators from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), composed of Delfin Banluta, Kirsten Phoebe Bautista, and Marie Bernadette Mirandilla, also visited the NBP to conduct a separate inquiry into Palparan’s status.

Catapang reiterated BuCor’s commitment to transparency and said the bureau remains open to accommodating visitors and investigators as long as they comply with established procedures and protocols.

“Guaranteeing the safety of our persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) is a priority — not only for Palparan but for everyone entrusted to our care,” Catapang asserted.

He added that BuCor remains committed to ensuring fairness and security in its operations and that no inmate receives special treatment while under the bureau’s custody.

Palparan was convicted by a Bulacan court in 2018 for kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the disappearance of University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño.