Romeo Jalosjos may be freed Dec. 16 - priest

Romeo Jalosjos, a former Zamboanga del Norte congressman convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl in 1996, may celebrate Christmas this year as a free man. A sister and a brother of Jalosjos are KAMPI partymates of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who approved the commutation of Jalosjos's double life sentence supposedly because of old age and unspecified illness. Jalosjos may be freed by December 16, on Malacanang's recent decision to commute his double-life sentence, according to Monsignor Roberto "Bobby" Olaguer, chief chaplain of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP). The 67-year-old Jalosjos has been in prison since Dec. 12, 1996, or for about 11 years only, or just a fraction of his full sentence. In an interview also on Thursday morning, Olaguer told dzBB radio that, "The earliest [time for Jalosjos's release] is December this year and the latest will be November 2008." Olaguer said that a re-computation of the accumulated time allowance given to the former congressman may shorten the latter's prison term. The Jalosjos family is the undisputed political dynasty in Zamboanga del Norte. A sister, Cecilia Jalosjos-Carreon, is the current congresswoman of the first district where Jalosjos used to serve until his conviction. A brother, Cesar, is the congressman of the third district. Both siblings belong to the KAMPI party of Mrs Arroyo. In the 2004 presidential elections, Mrs Arroyo obtained a 100,000 votes margin of victory in Zamboanga del Norte. The Justice department had submitted a recommendation for Jalosjos's commutation to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on March 2. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said President Arroyo made her decision to commute Jalosjos's sentence as early as April 30 this year, when she commuted the sentence of Jalosjos and 11 other convicts. The President's decision to commute the sentence of Jalosjos came just two weeks after the May 2007 congressional elections, which critics claimed had been marred by irregularities especially in Mindanao. The commutation of Jalosjos's sentence from two life terms (80 years) drew criticisms from several sectors, including the lawyer of the girl who accused him of raping her in the mid-1990s. Before the Justice department recommended a shorter prison term for Jalosjos, the seven-person Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) had recommended a commutation of Jalosjos's sentence from a minimum term of 22 years and a maximum of 27 years. President Arroyo’s decision cut down Jalosjos's jail time even further. Purita Adagio, BPP records officer, told GMANews.TV that the "definite" commutation granted by Malacanang for Jalosjos was 16 years, three months and three days. Adagio said the Board of Pardons cited Jalosjos's old age and unspecified "illness" as reasons for commuting his sentence. Despite Monsignor Olaguer's announcement that Jalosjos may be freed by December 16, the Bureau of Corrections on Thrusday noon said it has yet to receive any official information pertaining to the convict's release. "As of this time, wala pang notice from Malacañang (we have not received any notice from Malacañang)," said Monico Cadayona, an aide of BuCor Director Ricardo D. Dapat. Jalosjos was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of two counts of statutory rape and six counts of acts of lasciviousness in December 1997. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision sentencing Jalosjos to two reclusion perpetua. He was also ordered to pay the additional amount of P50,000 as civil indemnity for each count of statutory rape and acts of lasciviousness. As well, the high court increased to P50,000 the award of moral damages for each count of acts of lasciviousness that Jalosjos committed - GMANews.TV