Brother appeals to let Teehankee resume normal life

MANILA, Philippines – Ambassador Manuel Teehankee, Philippine representative to the World Trade Organization, on Tuesday appealed to the public to allow his brother - Claudio Teehankee Jr - to "transition back to being a productive citizen" following the latter's release from prison. In an interview with GMA News’ Arnold Clavio, Manuel also expressed gratitude for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s granting of executive clemency to his elder brother. "The family wishes to express appreciation for the compassion granted through the executive commutation of my brother, Ten-Ten (Claudio Jr). He has expressed remorse and expects to continue to atone for all his wrongdoings," said Ambassador Teehankee, an Arroyo appointee and former Justice undersecretary. "He has also already entered several years back with the financial settlement with the Hultmans and expressed his regret and sympathy for the suffering of the families involved. So we only appeal for a chance for Claudio Jr to transition back to being a productive citizen and that he be given the opportunity to atone for his wrongdoings," he added. On Monday, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez confirmed that President Arroyo had penned the executive clemency on Claudio Jr on the last week of September. He was then released from the New Bilibid Prison before midnight Friday last week. In a radio interview earlier Tuesday, Gonzalez admitted that a "reminder" from Manuel played a key role in the release of Claudio Jr. "Three weeks ago bago umalis iyan (Manuel)...umalis sa Switzerland, dumaan sa office ko, hopefully sabi niya baka sakaling mapalaya ang kapatid niya (Three weeks ago, before leaving for Switzerland, Teehankee's brother went to my office and said hopefully I can facilitate his brother's release)," Gonzalez told dwIZ radio in an interview. Gonzales, however, clarified that the petition for clemency had been pending for three years. He added that while Claudio Jr had not served his full sentence, he had earned enough good behavior credits to have his sentence commuted. President Arroyo’s decision to grant pardon to Claudio Jr, however, earned criticisms from various personalities and an anti-crime group. Claudio Jr, son of the late Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee Sr, was convicted in 1995 for the murder of Roland John Chapman and Swedish-Filipino Maureen Hultman. Teehankee was sentenced to one count of reclusion perpetua and two counts of prison mayor to reclusion temporal, which carry a jail term of 20 to 40 years and 12 to 20 years, respectively. Court records showed that Chapman, Hultman, and another friend, 21-year-old Jussi Leino, were coming home in Dasmarinas Village, Makati from a party in the wee hours of July 13, 1991 when they were accosted by Teehankee who asked for identification. When Chapman - who was described in earlier news reports as the son of a US Embassy communications officer - inquired what Teehankee wanted, Teehankee shot Chapman, killing him instantly. Teehankee then pointed his gun at Leino and told him to sit down on the pavement. Teehankee then turned to Hultman whom he also ordered to sit on the pavement. He then shot Leino who was hit in the jaw. He then fired at Hultman, who sustained a gunshot wound in the temple. Teehankee then left. Leino survived the rampage while Hultman died Oct 17, 1991 or two months later in hospital due to brain hemorrhages caused by the bullet fragments. Teehankee was arrested later on the testimony of several witnesses. - GMANews.TV