Smith doing clerical jobs at US embassy - DILG official

MANILA, Philippines - Convicted rapist US Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith is now doing clerical jobs while in confinement inside the United States embassy in Manila, a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) official said yesterday.

“As a matter of fact, medyo pumayat siya (he has lost weight),” said Marius Corpus, DILG undersecretary for public safety, during the DILG’s anti-kidnapping operations press briefing yesterday.

Corpus said he visited Smith at his confinement area inside the grounds of US embassy along Roxas Boulevard in Manila last Thursday.

The US serviceman told him that his lawyer had filed a motion for an early resolution of their pending appeal before the Court of Appeals questioning his conviction.

Smith’s conviction and continued detention under US control despite a Supreme Court order for him to be transferred to a facility under Philippine control has spawned a series of street protests and debates among the country’s top legal experts.

The American soldier was convicted by the Makati City regional trial court of raping a Filipina in Subic, Zambales and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Aside from doing regular exercise, the US Embassy has lined up several activities for Smith not to stay idle, including clerical jobs and other paper work, Corpus said.

“In his area of confinement, he does clerical jobs and some paper work to keep his mind busy. I recommended more physical exercise, otherwise he might have a heart attack there,” Corpus said.

He added that Smith is also aware that several groups outside the US embassy want him transferred to the New Bilibid Prisons.

However, he told Corpus that he is still awaiting the action of his government on the custody issue.

“He’s still waiting for his government’s action on his case. We, too, are awaiting the talks between the Philippine and US governments. We are not included in the negotiations, only the Department of Foreign Affairs.”       – Jaime Laude