MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday said it had nothing to do with the reported plan to transfer a convicted rapist and murderer to a prison in Spain.
Interviewed over Radyo ng Bayan, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said that the reported plan to transfer criminal Francisco Juan Larrañaga to Spain had nothing to do with the Palace.
He said the Palace would leave the matter to the judiciary and the Department of Justice (DOJ), which reportedly facilitated the forthcoming transfer.
“This matter is up to the courts. Malacañang has nothing to do with this. All of this is with the courts and so we’ll just let them handle this,” Remonde said in Filipino.
Larrañaga was convicted for the rape and murder of sisters Jacqueline and Marijoy Chiong in Cebu in 1997.
The victims’ mother Thelma Chiong denounced the move and lashed out at the administration for being “criminal friendly.”
Remonde said the Chiong family’s reaction to the report was expected but reiterated that the Palace cannot interfere in the affairs of the judiciary.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera yesterday defended the Department of Justice’s decision to approve Larrañaga’s transfer to a prison in Spain, saying this law could actually be used to bring back detained overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) home.
Devanadera said the implementation of the Republic of the Philippines- Spain Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement (TSPA) could be used to the Filipinos’ advantage, especially those who might be languishing in prisons in Spain.
She admitted that she does not have the number of Filipinos jailed in Spain but said, “this treaty could be used to benefit OFWs who are imprisoned in other countries. There are Filipinos who are detained in Spain and there are at least two Filipinos who would want to avail of the treaty. Their application is now being processed.”