Aquino: No special treatment for Pemberton

US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton mugshot (Photo courtesy of Olongapo City Police)

MANILA—President Benigno Aquino III assured the public yesterday that US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton will not receive special treatment from the government.

Militant groups have rallied on the streets and called on the administration over the alleged special treatment Pemberton has been receiving.

Pemberton who was found guilty of homicide for killing transgender Filipino woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude is being detained in a temporary detention cell located in Camp Aguinaldo instead of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

Pres. Aquino explained that Camp Aguinaldo is an extension of the Bureau of Corrections, the body that runs NBP.

“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),” Pres. Aquino was quoted as saying in a Philippine Star report.

“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.

Pres. Aquino said that the protesters see Pemberton’s detention facility as special only because it is different. He stressed that the country signed an agreement with the United States of America and have agreed upon a detention facility that will meet international standards.

The president also said that the questions critics have do not have sensible answers.