BuCor now processing Pemberton release, spox says

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Thursday said it has started processing the release of convicted US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton.

This comes after the BuCor received from the Department of Justice a copy of the absolute pardon that President Rodrigo Duterte granted to the American serviceman, bureau spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said.

"BuCor is now in coordination with relevant agencies that are involved in the process," Chaclag told reporters.

Immigration authorities earlier said they will complete deportation proceedings against Pemberton as soon as he is released from prison.

Pemberton was convicted of homicide for killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude in 2014. He was sentenced to six to 10 years in prison and detained in Camp Aguinaldo.

Duterte granted him absolute pardon just over five years into his imprisonment, extinguishing his criminal liability and rendering moot a legal debate on whether he was entitled to early release for good conduct.

The pardon came as public prosecutors and the Laude family were contesting an Olongapo City court order that said Pemberton was already due for release because he had accumulated enough good conduct time allowances (GCTA) on top of his actual time served.

The BuCor earlier said it will apply the ordinary release process to Pemberton.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, a former lawyer of the Laude family, said he respects the President's decision to grant absolute pardon to Pemberton.

"I respect the wisdom of the President, which is grounded on a broader national interest," Roque said without elaborating.

Roque had earlier denounced the Olongapo City court's ruling ordering Pemberton's release. — RSJ/KBK, GMA News