No special treatment for Pemberton, says PNoy

ROME – President Benigno Aquino III said there would be no special treatment for US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was found guilty of killing Filipino transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude in Olongapo last year.

Aquino said Pemberton is now detained in a Philippine-controlled facility in Camp Aguinaldo which can be considered an extension of the Bureau of Corrections.

“The facility in the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) is going to be manned by Bureau of Corrections personnel or is already being manned by Bureau of Corrections personnel. In effect, this is an extension of the Bilibid and consistent with the agreements under the VFA (Visiting Forces Agreement),” the president told reporters last Friday here.

“The bottom line is as a sovereign state, we have an agreement with another sovereign state. It has been there. The court has ruled. Pemberton faced the court. He was sentenced by our court. Our personnel will secure him so he can serve his sentence,” he added.

Aquino also lashed at critics who claim that Pemberton is being treated as a special prisoner in the country.

“By the very nature of our agreement, we have an agreed upon detention facility. But they (critics) will say that since the detention facility is different, it is already special,” the president said.

“Yung mga ganoong klaseng tanong wala namang kasagutang maayos e. (Those people have no reasonable reactions),” he added.

Earlier, Pemberton, who was charged with murder, was found guilty of the lesser offense of homicide and was sentenced to six to 12 years in prison by a local court.

Olongapo Regional Trial Court Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde also ordered the US Marine to pay the family of Laude a total of P4.6 million for lost earnings, burial expenses, moral damages, civil indemnity and exemplary damages.

The court initially ordered the transfer of Pemberton to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa pending a custody arrangement between the Philippines and the United States. Jabalde, later on, allowed Pemberton to remain in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

While on trial, Pemberton stayed in an air-conditioned cargo container guarded by American soldiers inside the Joint US Military Assistance Group compound. Recent reports said several US soldiers are still securing Pemberton at the detention facility.

Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc, however, believe Pemberton should be treated like an ordinary prisoner and decried the supposed defiance of the court ruling by the US. They said the Philippine government should assert its jurisdiction over the US Marine as a convicted criminal.  

Aquino believes the court ruling would not strain the defense ties between the Philippines and the US.

“The rule of law happens in our country. It is respected by the other state. Therefore, it redounds to both parties’ benefits that are not unequal. We have equality among two equally sovereign states and if you commit a crime, you will be held accountable,” the president said.

“That leads to an enhanced relationship between us and America,” he added.

The alliance between the Philippines and the US dates back to the World War II, when Filipino and American troops joined forces to repel Japanese colonizers.

In 1951, the two countries signed the Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951, which allows them to jointly develop their security capabilities to resist armed attacks. They also forged the VFA in 1998, which allows American forces to conduct joint trainings with Filipino troops on Philippine soil.