Actor in 1997 gun case gets absolute pardon

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday, Nov. 14 granted actor Robin Padilla absolute executive pardon in connection with an illegal possession of firearms case from two decades ago.

“I just granted the pardon in favor of Robin Padilla because ’ yung (the) original niyang pardon niya (to him), hindi sinali ’yung (it did not include the) restoration ng (of his) full political and civil rights,” Mr. Duterte said at a dinner he hosted for select reporters following the meeting he had with the actor that same evening.

He added: “He (Padilla) could not travel; he could not get a permit, whatever it is to possess a gun again. I really do not know the dimensions of the deprivation of civil and political rights. But one thing is he cannot vote, he cannot travel because he cannot be issued a passport and he cannot — I really do not know the extent of the deprivation of the persons rights and that,

nakalimutan ko na law ko diyan (I forgot the law on that). ’ Yung (My) pardon (to him) ko, full restoration of all his political and civil rights.”

To be sure, Mr. Padilla’s travels abroad in recent years, like that of other celebrities, has been reported by showbiz media.

To recall, charges of illegal possession of firearms were filed against Mr. Padilla on July 23, 1993 after police investigators found an unlicensed .45 caliber pistol in his San Lorenzo Village residence during a raid. The Makati Regional Trial Court cleared him of these charges the following year.

He was again arrested in 1994 by police operatives in Pampanga for sideswiping a balut vendor. He was found in possession of an unlicensed .357 caliber revolver, an M-16 baby Armalite rifle, a .380 caliber pistol, and six other .38 caliber revolvers.

On March 12, 1997, the Supreme Court upheld an appellate court ruling finding the actor guilty of illegal gun possession. However, it reduced his jail term to 10 to 18 years from 17 to 21 years. The Tribunal also referred his case to Malacañang for possible presidential pardon.

In April 1997, then President Fidel V. Ramos granted Mr. Padilla conditional pardon.

For his part, Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on Wednesday said of Mr. Duterte’s decision: “The power of the President to extend pardon or parole to any — any convicted person is absolute, nobody could question it.” “Alam naman natin na tapos na ’ yung panahon Robin Padilla ( We all know that his old ways are behind him) when he was a restless soul at that time, several years ago. Pero alam natin napakalaki ng ipinagbago niya ( But we all know that he changed a lot). So I think he deserves this absolute pardon,” Mr. Aguirre said.

He added: “Now, with respect to the others, I am not aware of the others who are lined up to be given absolute pardon.”

Mr. Duterte also told reporters he is “contemplating” on pardoning octogenarian convicts for humanitarian reasons and as part of efforts to “decongest” the national penitentiary. —