DOJ chief: Manero may be freed this month

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez yesterday hinted that convicted priest killer Norberto Manero could be released before month’s end.

“I want to finish that Manero thing because I want to finish writing (the resolution about the) Glorietta (explosion). The issue there is simple and all the facts are in already,” he said.

Gonzalez said he would prepare the papers to formalize the convict’s release.

“Let’s just wait until I issue a resolution. It will come out either today or tomorrow at the latest, but as I said the only issue there was whether President Erap (Joseph Estrada) can recall what President (Fidel) Ramos has already extended,” he said.

“In my mind that can’t be done anymore because the commutation extended by Ramos had already been completed,” Gonzalez added.

“The jurisprudence holds that once the commutation, pardon or parole has been completed, it can’t be recalled anymore especially by a future president. The president at that time, if there is a violation of the parole, can always recall it. I can even recall a parole,” he said.

The DOJ chief last week held Manero’s supposed release pending a review of the case.

Manero is claiming he received a conditional pardon in 1999 but then President Estrada recalled it because a record check showed he had a pending kidnapping and murder case dated 1977.

Manero was meted life imprisonment after he was found guilty of killing an Italian priest.

Gonzalez also noted that Manero’s release would not violate any law.

“Incidentally, during our dialogue with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, there were no objections. One bishop was even saying the story about him eating the brain of the victim was not true,” he said.  – Reinir Padua