Roque links Pemberton pardon to COVID-19 vaccine access

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. on Thursday linked President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to pardon convicted US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton to his boss’ desire for the Philippines to gain access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The US is one of the countries racing to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, which has killed some 900,000 people worldwide, including nearly 4,000 in the Philippines.

At a televised briefing, Roque said he believed that the President chose national interest over other considerations when he decided to pardon Pemberton, who was convicted of homicide for killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude in October 2014.

“Alam ko po ang emphasis ng ating Presidente ay makakuha ng vaccine para sa mga Pilipino,” Roque, a former lawyer of the Laude family, said, adding the President’s decision did not surprise him.

“Bagama't tayo po ang tumayong abagado ng pamilya Laude eh kung ang ibig sabihin naman niyan eh lahat ng Pilipino ay magkakaroon ng vaccine, kung ang mga Amerikano maka-develop, wala po akong problema diyan.”

Roque said that it was possible that the pardon was discussed during the farewell call of US Ambassador Sung Kim on Duterte on Monday even if Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. declared that the US did not ask for it.

Duterte granted Pemberton 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.

A former government prosecutor, the President argued that Pemberton was treated unfairly after his behavior while detained was not duly monitored by Philippine authorities for good conduct time credits.

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.

Shortly after the court handed down its ruling last week, Roque issued a statement deploring “the short period of imprisonment meted on Pemberton who killed a Filipino under the most gruesome manner.”

Roque, however, conceded that extending pardon to a person convicted of a crime is an exclusive prerogative of the President.

The Palace official also said that justice has been served.

“Naparusahan naman po siya. Nagbayad naman po siya ng danyos mahigit P4 million at tingin ko po dahil sentensiyado siya na siya ay mamamatay tao pati ‘yung kanyang serbisyo sa Hukbong Sandatahan ng Amerika ay maaapektuhan ‘yan,” Roque said.

“Sa tingin ko po, nakamit na po natin ang katarungan at bagamat mas marami nagsasabi na dapat mas matagal ang kulong sa kanya ang katotohanan naman po merong mas importanteng national interest na itinataguyod ang ating Presidente,” he added. -MDM, GMA News