Aquino: No special treatment for Pemberton

By Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News

Oct. 22, 2014

President Aquino denies Joseph Pemberton, the American soldier suspected of killing Jennifer Laude, is being given special treatment.

Speaking before the Foreign Correspondent Association of the Philippines, Aquino said, a Filipino who committed the same crime would be treated the same way.

“We submit he is not being treated with kid’s gloves,” said Aquino, “and the Americans, may I reiterate, are conforming to the treaty where they have to make this person and others available in judicial proceedings that are forthcoming. Treating him with kid’s gloves is treating him equally like any citizen of ours who is accused of committing a crime.”

The president also maintained the Laude murder case is not enough reason to abolish the Visiting Forces Agreement.

He said, what’s most important is that justice is served.

Also during the FOCAP forum, the President again stood by the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which the Supreme Court has struck down as unconstitutional.

He said he is ready to defend his decisions, amid threats of cases by critics once he stops down from office and loses his presidential immunity.

“The threats come with the job,” said the Philippine President. “Meron naming physical threats.
They’ll remove me before I even end my term or that they will file all of these charges. They have the right to file a complaint, I guess. I have the right also to file complaints against them for malicious lawsuits, which I can do when I’m a civilian and no longer in this position, as opposed to now that I have to tolerate all of the insults and cynicism because I have to rise above the fray.”

Aquino is also ready about the prospect of being jailed, but adds that this would only happen in an unfair justice system.

When asked if he’s prepared to be arrested and jailed he responded, “If there is a situation where we are back to an unjust judicial system, that is a necessary consequence.