Pemberton guard to get award

MANILA, Philippines - The Filipino soldier assaulted and shoved by the German fiancé of transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude after he breached the Camp Aguinaldo perimeter last Wednesday will be honored by the military tomorrow.

T/Sgt. Mariano Pamittan will be cited for his professionalism and restraint during the incident inside the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) compound where US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton is detained, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said.

Pamittan will receive a plaque of recognition from AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang.

Filipino soldiers who were guarding the perimeter of the temporary detention facility of Pemberton had a heated confrontation with Marc Suselbeck, the German boyfriend of Laude, after he climbed over the gate of the MDB-SEB facility inside the military headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo.

The AFP said Suselbeck violated Presidential Decree No. 1227, the law that punishes unlawful entry to any military base.

Pemberton is accused of killing Laude, who was found dead inside an Olongapo motel on Oct. 11.

The MDB-SEB, a US-controlled facility, is known as the Joint United States Advisory Group (JUSMAG). The area is off-limits to outsiders, including Filipino soldiers who are barred from entering the compound without prior clearance.

Suselbeck and Marilou, Laude’s sister, scaled the perimeter fence of Camp Aguinaldo in an attempt to confront Pemberton.

Once inside, the German shoved Pamittan, who tried to stop him from going to the second gate leading to the area where Pemberton is detained.

“I understand that they have valid concern. I sympathize with the Laude family because they lost a loved one. However, I have a duty to fulfill, which is to secure Pemberton, who also has his own rights,” Pamittan said.

“I told them that they were intruding into a restricted area. I reminded them I could arrest and detain them in our stockade,” he added.

Pamittan belongs to a family of soldiers, with over 20 of his relatives joining the military. He is married to Myrna Pamittan and they have six children.

His family maintains a backyard hog-raising business as source of additional income for the education of his children. His eldest child, Mary Jane, 18, is taking up criminology in Tuguegarao City.

A native of Cagayan, Pamittan, 44, entered military service in 1991 after studying automotive mechanic for two years. He joined the First Scout Ranger Regiment in 1992 and was assigned at the 5thand 9thCompanies until 2006.

He has been assigned all over the country, particularly in Northern Luzon, the Visayas, Sulu and Central Mindanao.

Meanwhile, it will be up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) to decide on the deportation of Suselbeck, Malacañang said yesterday. – With Aurea Calica