Philippine president slammed for pardon of US marine over Filipino transgender killing

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been slammed for his “revolting” move to pardon a US marine convicted of killing a Filipino transgender woman.

Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton, 25, has been in jail since 2014 for the murder of Jennifer Laude.

However, Duterte’s decision to grant Pemberton an absolute pardon has sparked public anger with a lawyer for Laude’s family describing it as “a mockery of the judicial and legal systems” in the country.

In a statement on Tuesday, attorney Virginia Suarez, said: “On behalf of the Laude family ... we strongly denounce the absolute pardon given by Duterte. This is another injustice not only to Jennifer Laude and family but a grave injustice to the Filipino people.

“This is a travesty of Philippine sovereignty and democracy. This is another hallmark of Philippine’s subservience to the US,” she added. In an announcement on Monday, Duterte said his move was “fair and did not favor anyone,” adding that Philippine authorities had not treated Pemberton “fairly” when they failed to keep an accurate record of his good conduct and time allowance (GCTA) credits while in detention.

The president pointed out that he consulted with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on the matter.

“I said, ‘it’s my decision to pardon. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is what I think about the case. You have not treated Pemberton fairly, so I’ll release him. Pardon.’ If it’s pardon, nobody can question that,” Duterte said in his weekly address to the nation.

“I am not favoring anybody — neither Pemberton, nor the family (of Laude), but you know if there is a time where you are called upon to be fair, be fair, be fair,” he added. Duterte noted that it was not Pemberton’s fault if his GCTA had not been duly recorded and the marine was not required to keep a record of his own and characterize his behavior in prison.

The president’s decision, which contradicts his staunch antiAmerican stance, came as a surprise and sparked outrage from the victim’s family, various groups, and personalities.

Suarez said: “There are too many Filipino convicts already in their twilight years serving their sentence. Why give it to a foreigner, a US soldier who committed an atrocious crime?

“Pemberton killing Laude reflects the systematic discrimination and violence inflicted by the US to Filipino women, children, and the LGBTQ community.”

The lawyer added that the victim’s sister, Marilou, had been shocked on learning that Pemberton was being pardoned.

“I thought Duterte was our ally; I thought he dislikes America. Why did that happen?” Suarez said, quoting Marilou.