The families of missing University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño have had enough. On Monday, June 15, they went to the Supreme Court to demand one thing: tell us where Jovito Palparan is.

Palparan, a retired Philippine Army major general nicknamed "Berdugo" or "The Butcher" for his brutal record, was convicted in 2018 of kidnapping and serious illegal detention over the disappearance of the two activists in 2006. He was sentenced to up to 40 years in prison. But the families say he's no longer where he should be — inside the New Bilibid Prison's Maximum Security Camp.

According to their petition, court notices sent to Palparan at Bilibid were returned with annotations. One, dated February 27, 2026, said he "moved out (transferred to BuCor – Baguio)." Another, from an October 2025 Supreme Court resolution, read "moved out to PMA Baguio."

The National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL), which represents the families, said these annotations are official records that contradict what the Bureau of Corrections is now saying.

"These annotations constitute clear admissions by NBP personnel that, according to their own records, Palparan was no longer confined at the facility," the NUPL said.

BuCor director general Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. — himself a retired military general — hit back on the same day. He said Palparan is still in Bilibid and released photos of Palparan at a medical mission on March 31, 2026, to prove it.

But the NUPL isn't convinced. Those photos are nearly three months old, have no timestamps, and don't show where they were taken. "If Palparan is indeed still detained at the NBP, BuCor could have readily provided documentary proof," said NUPL president Ephraim Cortez.

The families' lawyer argued that allowing a convicted human rights violator to get "extraordinary accommodations" sends the wrong message. "It diminishes the hard-won victories of victims and their families, who have endured years of pain and suffering in their pursuit of justice," the NUPL said.

Palparan's record is long and bloody. Between 1981 and 1991, he was accused of seven summary executions, a massacre, an abduction, five harassment incidents, five illegal arrests and detentions, and an aerial assault. In 2005, as chief of the 8th Infantry Division in Samar and Leyte, he allegedly killed five people, attempted to murder two more, abducted five, and harassed others. In 2006, his 7th Infantry Division allegedly abducted farmers Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo — and also Cadapan and Empeño.

Then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo even praised Palparan during her State of the Nation Address that year for his anti-communist campaign.

Now, the families are asking the Supreme Court to order BuCor to disclose exactly where Palparan is. If he's been moved, they want to know why — and they want him back in maximum security, where he belongs.