Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 10) — There’s no question that the US government wanted American Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton released “at the soonest possible time” after being convicted of killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude, a top Philippine diplomat said.
“They were just concerned how long Private Pemberton will be under custody,” Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez said in an interview with CNN Philippines. "They were not pushing at all."
He said that about two years ago, then US Pacific Command head Admiral Harry Harris dropped by the Philippine Embassy in Washington and asked him “what was the possibility of Private Pemberton being released.” By that time, Pemberton had spent around four years under solitary confinement at Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, under the terms of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries.
Romualdez recalled telling Harris an appeal could probably be filed.
US gov't 'very appreciative' of Pemberton pardon
News of the absolute pardon granted by President Rodrigo Duterte to Pemberton took US officials by surprise, Romualdez said, followed by calls of gratitude. He said officials from Pentagon and the US Department of State reached out to him to thank Duterte.
When asked if the pardon would improve the Philippines’ relations with the US, Romualdez said, “Maski na papaano, syempre, malaking bagay na pinardon ng Presidente mismo ‘yung sundalo nila and they’re very appreciative of that.”
[Translation: Somehow, of course, it’s a big thing that the President himself pardoned their soldier and they’re very appreciative of that.]
Romualdez said it’s a “good move,” noting that there are also overseas Filipino workers who are behind bars abroad.
In exchange for vaccine?
News of the absolute pardon granted by President Rodrigo Duterte to Pemberton took US officials by surprise, Romualdez said, followed by calls of gratitude. He said officials from Pentagon and the US Department of State reached out to him to thank Duterte.
When asked if the pardon would improve the Philippines’ relations with the US, Romualdez said, “Maski na papaano, syempre, malaking bagay na pinardon ng Presidente mismo ‘yung sundalo nila and they’re very appreciative of that.”
[Translation: Somehow, of course, it’s a big thing that the President himself pardoned their soldier and they’re very appreciative of that.]
Romualdez said it’s a “good move,” noting that there are also overseas Filipino workers who are behind bars abroad.
In exchange for vaccine?
Pemberton’s impending release once again raised emotions in the country from members and supporters of the LGBTQI community and from groups that criticize the perceived special treatment extended to American servicemen.
READ: CHR deplores Pemberton pardon: 'President must be sensitive to victims’ plights'
Laude was found dead in an Olongapo City motel room after a night out with then 19-year-old Pemberton in October 2014. Laude's neck was blackened with strangulation marks and her head slumped in a toilet bowl, after Pemberton learned that she was a transgender.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who previously served as lawyer for the Laude family, believes Duterte pardoned Pemberton so the Philippines would be prioritized once a COVID-19 vaccine is developed by the US. He said the President was probably thinking of national interest.
But Romualdez refutes this theory, saying the US had committed to help the Philippines’ pandemic response and make the vaccine available to any country in need.
Deportation awaits Pemberton
Pemberton is just days from flying back home to the US as the Bureau of Immigration said he will be deported as soon as he is released from jail. Immigration spokesperson Melvin Mabulac said the bureau is just waiting for documents needed to process the deportation, including the signed copy of the pardon and Pemberton’s travel documents.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, for one, expects Pemberton to be able to leave the country this weekend.
Duterte pardoned Pemberton even after appeals filed in court by the Laude camp and even the Philippines' own Department of Justice to block the American soldier's early release on the basis of good conduct. Guevarra explained that while his department questions the four years' worth of good conduct time allowance credited to Pemberton, he sees nothing "really very objectionable" with the pardon, since it is an exclusive prerogative of the President.
The Court of Appeals initially sentenced Pemberton up to 12 years of imprisonment, but it was later reduced to a maximum of 10 years. He’s now walking free after less than six years in jail. His lawyer, Rowena Garcia-Flores, said Pemberton will return to the United States to complete his tertiary studies.
READ: Pemberton hopes to apologize to Laude family, bares plans after Duterte’s pardon
Romualdez said Pemberton can even go back to the US Armed Forces if he wanted to, but he'll most likely spend time with his family first.
"Since he served his sentence... I don’t think he’s going to be discharged forcefully," Romualdez said. "But very likely, he will probably just be reunited with his family; his family is of course very grateful to the President."
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/9/10/US-Marine-Pemberton-pardon-Philippines.html
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