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MANILA, Philippines – Only hardline critics of the United States see anything wrong with President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to grant full pardon to Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., said Tuesday.
In a tweet, the head of the Department of Foreign Relations (DFA) said pardoning Pemberton, who was serving time for the murder of Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude, was a mere “act of justice and justice.”
“There you go. Only rabid anti-Americans look bad in an act of justice and justice. Now the United States knows who its friends are and who its implacable enemies are in the Philippines, ”Locsin tweeted.
Locsin was reacting to a statement made by Senator Christopher Bong Go, Duterte’s former aide, about the outright pardon granted to Pemberton. According to Go, it is an absolute power that is the prerogative and judgment of the president “that no one can really question.”
There you go. Only rabid anti-Americans look bad in an act of justice and justice. Now the United States knows who its friends are and who its implacable enemies are in the Philippines. https://t.co/ejNWbXIefD
– Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) September 8, 2020
However, not all of Go’s colleagues in the Senate approved the pardon, which came days after the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court ordered Pemberton’s release for serving six years of his 10-year sentence. , with a four year suspension for less than the Good Behavior Time Allotment (GCTA) credits.
Locsin and Go made their remarks when the administration sparked a backlash for allegedly ignoring the 2014 murder, which many described as a hate crime, as Pemberton was allegedly enraged to discover that Laude was transgender.
Duterte maintained that his pardon was simply to treat Pemberton fairly, as no one had taken note of his GCTA credits while he was incarcerated at Camp Aguinaldo.
The issue sparked expressions of anti-American sentiment, with various activist groups, such as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), generally critical of the United States’ involvement in the Philippines, saying that Duterte’s move was intended to appease the world superpower.
Bayan’s secretary general, Renato Reyes, said on Monday, after news of the pardon broke, that this decision contradicted Duterte’s insistence on an independent foreign policy.
“The absolute pardon comes months after Duterte reversed his initial pronouncement to end the VFA [Visiting Forces Agreement]. The Philippine President has restored the VFA to please Americans. He has gone the extra mile by forgiving Pemberton, who was the subject of special treatment under the VFA, ”Reyes said.
Meanwhile, the Center for International Law (Centerlaw), some of whose members acted as lawyers for the Laude family, said it had various premonitions that Pemberton would be released, either through the GCTA or other means, as a pardon.
Centerlaw said various actions by the Duterte administration, such as backtracking on scrapping the VFA and purchasing US military equipment, indicated a bias toward the United States.
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