’Pemberton was not treated fairly’
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday justified his grant of absolute pardon to Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton, saying the United States Marine was not treated fairly.
In a public address late Monday, September 7, the President said Pemberton’s detention started when he was being tried for the killing of Filipina transgender Jennifer Laude.
“I am not favoring anybody, neither Pemberton nor the family [of Laude]. Itong gobyerno,maykontinganodiyan,dapa. Kasisa good behavior kailangani- compute mosalahat.Iba‘yungdetenadoka habang‘yungkasopinapakingganngkorte.
Ibanaman‘yungdetenadokana,sentensyado after trial. Siyakasi, while being tried...detained nasiya (There were some slips. Good behavior should be computed. It’s different if you were detained while the case was being heard. He was detained while he was being tried),” Duterte said.
He added that it was not the fault of Pemberton if his good conduct in detention was not recorded.
The soldier was detained at a special facility inside Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The President recounted that he told Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra that it was his decision to pardon Pemberton.
Pemberton was sentenced to 10 years in jail but last week, the regional trial court in Olongapo City ordered his release. The court deducted 1,548 days from his sentence for good behavior.
The Laude family and various groups condemned the President’s decision, saying the grant of absolute pardon to Pemberton was an affront to Filipinos.
Sen. Ana Theresia Hontiveros on Tuesday faulted the President for favoring an American instead of his own people.
“While Filipinos who are convicted even of lesser crimes are never accorded such a privilege, an American who brutally killed a Filipina is allowed to walk free by the President himself. This current move also gives the lie to the so-called support of the President for the trans and whole LGBT+ community,” she said.