Binay wants justice for Jennifer

MANILA, Philippines - Justice must be served in the death of transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, said Vice President Jejomar Binay, who visited the wake here Friday night.

“I condole with the family of Jennifer. I hope that justice will be served on Jennifer. A life was lost, justice must be served,” Binay said.

The Vice President was in Zambales for the turnover of wheelchairs and medical equipment for senior citizens and meeting with local officials.

Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino accompanied Binay to St. Martin Funeral Parlor in Barangay Pag-Asa, where Laude’s mother Julita and elder sister Marilou received him.

Binay arrived at around 9 p.m. and spent a few minutes talking with Laude’s family.

US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton allegedly killed Laude, who was found dead inside the toilet of a room in Celzone Lodge here. He is in the custody of his superiors on the USS Peleliu still docked in Subic Bay following the annual joint naval exercise Phiblex.

Binay refused to comment on calls for the review of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) following the incident, saying he is leaving the matter to lawmakers.

The VFA’s provisions on criminal jurisdiction over cases involving US military personnel should be revisited, according to those pushing for its review.

Meanwhile, the director of the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies (UCWS) has condemned the killing of Laude, calling it a “hate crime on the basis of gender identity, a heinous case of gender-based violence and an issue of national sovereignty.”

“This incident is not an isolated case – it is the direct result of systemic ‘Othering’ of women and transgender people by a transphobic, patriarchal, imperialist system,” UCWS director Judy Taguiwalo said in a statement.

Taguiwalo also extended her condolences to the family of Laude as well as the transgender community in the country.

She called for the abrogation of the VFA and the recently signed the Enhanced Defense Military Agreement.

“The US has a long list of crimes against women in the Philippines in its need to maintain its position as the top military power in the world,” citing the rape case involving Lance Corporal Daniel Smith in 2005.

“The training of military personnel as predatory forces makes it natural for them to commit crimes against those made vulnerable because of their gender. Likewise, the view of the US military that women are mere tools for their rest and recreation permits them to dehumanize us,” her statement added. – With Janvic Mateo