P-Noy to pardon aged, ailing Bilibid inmates

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is set to grant pardon to aged and sick inmates at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday the President intends to grant executive clemency to qualified inmates and present it as a gift to Pope Francis who will visit the country next month.

De Lima went to the NBP to personally verify inmates applying for presidential pardon or executive clemency.

“We are considering the aged and sick inmates, especially the terminally ill,” she said.

She said she would submit a recommendation to the President.

De Lima, however, has not identified the inmates being considered for pardon, and would not say whether  they included high-profile inmates.

But The STAR learned that convicted killer Rolito Go, who is suffering from stage-four colon cancer, is not on the list of candidates.

“He is not included. I was told that there was strong opposition from the victim’s family,” Bureau of Corrections director Franklin Jesus Bucayu said.

Go has reportedly been brought several times to the hospital due to his illness.

The construction magnate was convicted for shooting to death De La Salle University graduate Eldon Maguan in a road rage incident in 1991.

The 25-year-old Maguan was driving along Wilson Street in Greenhills, San Juan when he had a traffic altercation with Go.

In 1993, Go was found guilty by the regional trial court of San Juan City for murder and sentenced to a jail term of 40 years.

Last Nov. 27, the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) recommended 47 inmates for executive clemency. The decision remains pending at the Palace with just few days left in the Christmas season, when pardon is usually granted.