Chiong to fight probation of James Anthony Uy

The mother of sisters Mary Joy and Jacqueline Chiong, who were abducted, raped and killed nine years ago, vowed to oppose application for probation from one of the seven men convicted of their killing after the court ruled that he may now apply for it under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

Thelma Chiong, who is also the national vice president of the Crusade Against Violence, said that she will oppose the expected application for probation of James Anthony Uy, although, she admitted that her opposition might be an exercise in futility because it is mandated under the new law.

Chiong said she will soon file her comment and manifestation to the order of executive judge Simeon Dumdum Jr. wherein she will be furnishing the courts the records of James Anthony from the different police blotters.

Chiong said James Anthony has been causing trouble even when he was as young as 12, she said she will use these as grounds in opposing the granting of probation.

Nevertheless, Chiong said she hopes that after several years in jail James Anthony has somehow changed. "Mag-born again na unta siya," Chiong added.

Dumdum ordered last Monday that James Anthony may now apply for probation. He cited Section 68 of the Republic Act 9344 otherwise known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which states that "persons who have been convicted and are serving sentence at the time of the effectivity of this act, and who were below the age of eighteen years at the time of the commission of the offense for which they were convicted and are serving sentence, shall likewise benefit from the retroactive application of this act."

Dumdum further said Section 42 states that," the court may, after it shall have convicted and sentenced a child in conflict with the law, and upon application at any time, place the child on probation in lieu of service of his/her sentence taking into account the best interest of the child."

James Anthony was only 16 years old when he and his brother James Andrew, Francisco Juan "Paco" Larrañaga, Josman Aznar, Rowen Adlawan, Alberto Caño and Ariel Balansag kidnapped, raped and killed the Chiong sisters on July 16, 1997. They were convicted on May 5, 1999 for two counts of kidnapping with serious illegal detention.

But unlike his brother and the five others, who were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court after review of the decision by the late judge Martin Ocampo, James Anthony was only sentenced reclusion perpetua because he was a minor when the crime was committed.

The sentence of the six other convicts however were also commuted to life imprisonment after President Gloria Arroyo signed into law the abolition of the death penalty on June 24. - Fred P. Languido