No ‘pardon’ gift for pope

MANILA, Philippines - The presidential pardon expected to be given to some aged and ill inmates as a gift from President Aquino to Pope Francis seems to have taken a back seat.

The Palace received from the Department of Justice (DOJ) the list of inmates recommended for executive clemency a week before the pope arrived in the country.

The pardon grant was being prepared as Aquino’s gift for the leader of over a billion Catholics in the world whose visit to the Philippines is themed “mercy and compassion.”

But even when the President had met Pope Francis twice – first at the welcome ceremonies in Villamor Air Base, then at the official reception at Malacañang Palace last Friday – no such gift was given.

Instead, Aquino took the opportunity to criticize the country’s Catholic bishops before the pope for their alleged inaction against sins of previous administrations and for their attacks on the current administration.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has confirmed that the Palace was not able to completely review the list she submitted.

“The office of the President did not have enough time to do its own vetting on the list. It won’t be ready until after the pope’s departure on Monday (today),” De Lima told The STAR yesterday.

The DOJ chief, however, did not reveal if the Palace would still proceed with the review of recommendees for presidential pardon and if the approval is just a matter of timing.

Pending Palace action, De Lima would not disclose how many inmates were included in her list.

The STAR earlier reported that the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has recommended some 200 inmates, while the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) has recommended 47 inmates for executive clemency.

The BPP also reviewed the cases of 85 other inmates applying for presidential pardon.

De Lima then vetted the list and submitted her recommendation two weeks ago.