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JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Sunday that the case of convicted US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton should be taken into account when reviewing the future of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
Guevarra made the statement and expressed his relief that Pemberton is now out of the country following his deportation on Sunday morning.
“I am relieved to see the end of the Pemberton episode. Although it was accompanied by an intense conflict, it has provided knowledge and lessons to reflect on the future of the Visiting Forces Agreement, the administration of criminal justice and the exercise of the constitutional powers of the President ”, said Guevarra.
After Pemberton’s departure, Virginia Suárez, a lawyer for the Laude family, said: “May he find peace of mind. Hoping to have learned from all this the value of life and dignity regardless of gender and nationality ”.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said that as a result of Pemberton’s deportation, he has been placed on the office’s blacklist, so he can no longer return to the country.
The BI said Pemberton boarded a US-bound military plane at the former Balagbag International Airport, near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, at 9:14 am.
Convicted of killing Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude in October 2014, Lance Cpl. Pemberton received absolute pardon from President Duterte last week, amid a legal dispute over a court order to release him before the end of his 10-year jail term with the use of good conduct credits.
the Stars and stripes, A US military publication said Pemberton left a message to President Duterte and Laude’s family “but the content of the message will be released after his departure,” said his attorney, Rowena Garcia-Flores.
Before heading to the airport, Pemberton underwent a coronavirus test, which came back negative, said immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval.
The C-130 aircraft that went to search for the soldier came from the United States Air Force Base in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. He landed on Naia and rolled onto the Balagbag track, away from prying eyes. Only those authorized by Naia authorities were allowed to approach Pemberton before he boarded the plane.
U.S. Embassy
The US embassy in Manila issued a short statement Sunday morning. “All legal proceedings in the case were carried out under the jurisdiction and law of the Philippines. Lance Cpl. Pemberton served his sentence ordered by the Philippine courts and left the Philippines on September 13, ”the statement said.
From his holding cell in the Jusmag area of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Pemberton boarded a BI vehicle early Sunday morning and was escorted by military and US embassy personnel in Manila.
Wearing a gray shirt and black mask, Pemberton appeared calm as he spoke to his companions before boarding.
On September 7, Duterte granted Pemberton a full pardon after Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde of Section 74 of the Olongapo City Regional Court of First Instance ordered his release on September 1, 2020.
Pemberton, now 25, was convicted when he was only 19 years old.
He met Laude, 26, at a nightclub in Olongapo City, outside Subic Bay, when he was in the Philippines for joint military exercises in 2014 under the VFA, the legal framework for temporary visits by forces. Americans.
Closed-circuit television video presented at the trial showed the two entering a hotel together and Pemberton later leaving alone. A hotel worker found Laude dead, his head slumped on a toilet. Laude’s neck was broken.
Pemberton, an anti-tank missile operator from New Bedford, Massachusetts, was one of thousands of Americans who participated in joint drills with Filipinos under the VFA.
Duterte terminated the deal earlier this year, but two months later he backed off and suspended the termination process.
Duterte defended his decision in a public speech on Monday, stating that Pemberton “must be allowed the presumption of good character” because he had behaved well behind bars. “If there is a time when you are asked to be fair, be fair,” Duterte said.
Since taking office in 2016, Duterte has shown a hostile attitude toward the United States, denouncing its atrocities against Filipinos while the country was his colony, and then announcing his turn to China.
