Priests, nuns sought absolute pardon for Manero

Ten priests, three nuns and three lay ministers spearheaded the recommendation for the absolute pardon of Norberto Manero, convicted murderer of Italian priest Fr. Tullio Favali, records at the Department of Justice showed.

Meanwhile, in a television interview in an undisclosed place in Mindanao, Manero said he preferred to go back to the hills instead of languishing in jail anew if President Estrada recalls his parole.

Msgr. Benedicto Arroyo, a member of the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP), confirmed that his group pushed for absolute pardon for Manero as early as 1992.

"Yes, we recommended (Manero's release), not for conditional pardon but absolute pardon. The priests' recommendation was absolute pardon and not conditional pardon. It's a blessing in disguise. I don't consider that a problem," Arroyo said.

Arroyo also said their recommendation was discussed with the Roman Catholic hierarchy. "All those things have been taken before. We received the recommendation, but based our actions on our policies and regulations," the priest said.

In a letter dated November 1992 to then President Ramos, the clergymen, most of whom came from Cotabato, said Manero was a "loyal and patriotic citizen of our country who risked his life during the last 13 years (1972-1985) of his productive life against the NPA (New People's Army) rebels and Muslim secessionists.

"His good deeds (have) earned for him a most coveted award from the military as the most outstanding CHDF (Civilian Home Defense Force) of 1978," the letter stated, adding that Manero had different awards and plaques of appreciation during his service to the people of Mindanao.

Apart from Arroyo, the other priests who signed the petition for Manero's release from the state prison were Mario Horlador, a certain Kado, Henry Gemone, Jerry Araujo, Rudy Relator, Alex Yap, Alfie Aninon, Paulino Macaraeg and Ismael Hembra.

The lay ministers were Teodulo Fernandez, Rosendo Yee and Pepito Mahong, while the nuns were Juliana Lee, Rosario Tuveda and Corazon Damaso.

Church-based organizations led by the influential Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) renewed their condemnation of the grant of executive clemency to Manero, and launched a nationwide "black ribbon" campaign to dramatize their protest.

Describing Manero as a "sick man," Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin said he feared for the safety of the people in Tulunan, particularly those who testified against the killers of Favali.

"He (Manero) might be a danger to society," Sin said in a statement.

Meanwhile, lawyer Renato Corona, spokesman for Ramos, hinted it was still unclear whether the former president's commutation of Manero's maximum prison term from 40 years to 24 years on Feb. 6, 1998 was valid.

Corona, who signed Manero's commutation of sentence on behalf of Ramos, said the executive clemency was conditioned on the prisoner's payment of P2,000 indemnity, P70,000 in attorney's fees, P12,000 in court costs, P19,000 for a damaged motorcycle and P100,000 in moral damages.

Corona indicated it was highly unlikely that Manero settled the pecuniary conditions.

"This means, therefore, that the commutation of Manero's sentence never took effect and his penalty legally and technically continues to be life imprisonment," Corona pointed out.

"Granting but not conceding, however, that the commutation did not take effect for some reasons, the rules state that a prisoner can be granted executive clemency only once, and therefore, the full pardon extended to him by President Estrada on Dec. 16, 1999 - being a second clemency - appears to be a radical departure from this rule of long standing," Corona noted. - With Marichu Villanueva, Efren Danao, Jess Diaz, Mayen Jaymalin