Noy grants executive clemency to cancer-stricken convict

MANILA, Philippines - A convict who is suffering from cancer is the first to be granted executive clemency under the Aquino administration.

The President yesterday said he authorized the release of the convict from the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City upon the recommendation of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and the Bureau of Pardons and Parole. The inmate’s cancer worsened from stage two to stage four, according to Aquino.

“I have already signed his papers. It was either last week or this week. This guy has served – to be honest – out of the reclusion perpetua (life term or equivalent of 40 years) penalty, around eight years only,” he said. He said he could not recall the name of the convict.

The President said more convicts are expected to be given a new lease on life during Christmas, when he would announce a longer list of prisoners to be granted pardon or parole, even as he admitted having a hard time approving the recommendations.

He said the good conduct time allowance accorded to convicts must be done away with, and that he would prefer the justice system in the US, where a person meted life imprisonment would really spend his lifetime behind bars, without any pardon or parole.

The President said he is also uncomfortable freeing rapists and drug dealers even if they have conducted themselves well in prison.

“We want a more thorough system for vetting and granting of pardons and parole and perhaps, more participation of the offended family,” he said.

There are around 100 convicts who are eligible for commutation of sentence, while another 12 are due for conditional pardon, according to De Lima.

“We have to very restrictive and stringent pagdating sa high crimes and he (Aquino) wants that put into the guidelines kaya pinag-aaralan namin yan,” she said.