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Duterte ‘transphobic’ for granting Pemberton pardon –LGBTQI groups
By JOVILAND RITA,GMA NewsLGBTQI organizations accused President Rodrigo Duterte of being transphobic for granting US Marine Corps Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, who killed transgender Filipino Jennifer Laude in 2014, an absolute pardon.
“His so-called support for the LGBTQI community is just mere posturing and exposes the truth about Duterte and his legacy—that as a leader, he is nothing but unjust, misogynistic, and transphobic,” the organizations said in a Tuesday unity statement.
In a briefing from Davao City on Monday, Duterte explained that he had granted Pemberton an absolute pardon
for being treated unfairly when his behavior while detained and in prison was not duly monitored by Philippine authorities for good conduct time credits.However, the LGBTQI groups countered that that Pemberton had only served 5 years and 10 months of his 10-year jail sentence in Camp Aguinaldo.
“Pemberton should have served time in the National Bilibid Prison, and the President could have granted a presidential pardon to a Filipino instead of an American,” the group said.
They added the pardon showed that the government had been using the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to promote and kowtow to foreign interests, leading to suffering, indignity, and injustice to Filipinos.
The LGBTQI groups noted the earlier pronouncements of Malacañang calling the Olongapo court’s order to release Pemberton earlier as “judicial overreach.”
They said the pardon sends a message that a Filipino transgender woman’s life does not matter and it is “open season” for discrimination and violence against transgender people,
Also, the pardon means American soldiers will continue to get away with murder in the Phillippines.
“His government never served our interests nor protected our rights and lives, and today proves that only a murderer can empathize with another murderer,” the groups said.
The unity statement was signed by:
- Call Her Ganda Documentary
- LakanBini Advocates Pilipinas, Inc.
- Gender and Development Advocates (GANDA) Filipinas
- Pioneer Filipino Transgender Men Movement
- Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP Kababaihan, Inc.)
- Transman Equality and Awareness Movement (TEAM)
- Lagablab LGBT Network
- Metro Manila Pride
- Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders (PANTAY)
- UP Babaylan
- Rainbow Rights Philippines
- Babaylanes, Inc.
- PUP Kasarianlan
- BulSU Bahaghari
- Benilde Hive
- TUP DUGONG BUGHAW
- Gayon Albay LGBT Org., Inc.
- True Colors Coalition (TCC)
- Bicol University - MAGENTA
- KAIBA Academic Collective
- UP Babaylan - Baguio Chapter
- APC Bahaghari
- Queer Quezon
- GALANG Philippines, Inc.
- Camp Queer
- UP Babaylan - Clark Chapter
- Tribu Duag
- LGBTQ+ Partylist
- Youth Voices Count, Inc.
- Love Is All We Need
- Women and Gender Institute
- Iloilo Pride Team
- Migrante Europe
- Pinay sa Holland
- GABRIELA Germany
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— DVM, GMA News