DEFENSE Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Armed Forces chief of staff, would recommend to President Arroyo the granting of executive clemency to the nine junior officers who were convicted last week by the Regional Trial Court in Makati for coup d’état.

The two said their actions were prompted by the officers’ appeal for pardon from President Arroyo and for issuing apologies to the public for their involvement in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.
Esperon said they were supposed to submit the recommendation to the President on Sunday.

The nine junior officers recommended to be pardoned are Capts. Gerardo Gambala, Milo Maestrecampo, John Andres, Albert Baloloy, Alvin Ebreo and Lawrence Louis Somera, 1Lts. Cleo Donga-as, Florentino Somera Jr. and 2Lt. Kristopher Bryan Yasay.

Teodoro said the defense department and the Armed Forces have found sufficient reasons to endorsed to the President the grant of pardon to the nine.

“The power of the President under the Constitution to grant executive clemency is absolute once the conditions for the grant of pardon are already present,” he said.

He said since the nine have been convicted, they are already qualified for executive clemency.

Teodoro said the grant of pardon augurs well with Arroyo’s holistic approach toward achieving national unity and reconciliation. 

“The President is poised to grant amnesty to Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army rebels and is now getting the concurrence of Congress on the matter. The peace process with separatists in Mindanao is vigorously being pursued, I believe it is equally important in achieving national peace to reach out to these convicted junior officers who have shown remorse for their illegal acts and expressed desire to return to the folds of law,” Teodoro said.

Esperon said the officers’ owning up to their mistake  in court and their subsequent issuance of apology and appeal to Mrs. Arroyo for forgiveness are enough reasons for them to be pardoned.

“These junior officers have been detained for four years and nine months and have shown remorse for their illegal acts and appealed for President’s pardon…they were led astray by wrong beliefs but have realized their grave mistakes. Military adventurism is never a way to pursue and achieve reforms. They are very talented soldiers and we would like to give them another chance to help the country move forward,” Esperon said.

He said the conviction of the nine junior officers should be enough to dissuade future acts of adventurism in the military.

Teodoro, Esperon push pardon

DEFENSE Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Armed Forces chief of staff, would recommend to President Arroyo the granting of executive clemency to the nine junior officers who were convicted last week by the Regional Trial Court in Makati for coup d’état.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Two explosions rocked this city early Sunday morning amid tight security as national games are being held here.
No casualties were reported.

HOG raisers criticized meat processors for their claims that the price of canned goods and processed meat products will increase by as much as 20 percent due to a new policy of the Department of Agriculture (DA) restricting importation of pork products.

HOUSE leaders have vowed the swift passage of two important bills—one that would promote food production through corporate farming and one that would impose higher penalties to hoarders of prime commodities—when Congress resumes session on April 21 to address the prolonged rice problem until 2010 as projected by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

With just one more day to go before the April 15 deadline for filing of income-tax returns (ITRs), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) had advised all electronic filers (e-filers) belonging to the Large Taxpayers Group and the top 10,000 under the revenue district offices (RDO) to declare their true income for 2007 and refrain from making “No-Payment” or “No-Operation” declarations in their returns; otherwise, they face stiff penalties and possible criminal charges for tax evasion.