JUSTICE Secretary Leila M. de Lima submitted on January 14 the list of names of convicts she has recommended for the grant of executive clemency to President Aquino.
De Lima said her “self-imposed deadline” for submission to the Office of the President was on January 7.
She imposed the same “deadline” on the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) management and the technical staff of the Department of Justice.
De Lima said she could not say how many were recommended for executive clemency and “in fact, even if ma-review ko na at mai-submit ko na sa OP, I don’t think I have the authority to disclose kung ilan ang ire-recommend kasi it really depends on the President how many of those recommendees would really be granted executive clemency or what form of executive clemency may be granted to them, either conditional pardon with parole or commutation
of sentence.”
De Lima said when it comes to old age, “mga 70 plus 80 plus meron pa ngang 90 plus kung commutation ang ibibigay at ilan pang years ang matitira practically no meaning, wala rin.”
However, de Lima said there are actually conditions on commutation of sentence and conditional pardon on the part of the Board of Pardon and Parole “but when it comes to the President, the President has plenary, absolute power of executive clemency.”
De Lima said the elderly and terminally ill inmates will be prioritized in the recommendation for executive clemency.
Despite his illness, convicted road-rage killer Rolito Go will not get a presidential pardon.
BuCor Director Franklin Jesus Bucayu said that Go’s name was not included in the list of candidates qualified for an executive clemency.
“Although he is seriously ill, he was not considered for executive clemency because there was an opposition from the family of the victim,” Bucayu said.
Go is suffering from stage 4 colon cancer.
“Nakakaawa na din naman siya talaga. Pabalik-balik sa hospital nakatubo na at dun na dumudumi,” Bucayu said.
President Aquino will grant executive clemency to elderly and terminally ill inmates as a gift to Pope Francis. Francis was on a state and pontifical visit to the Philippines from January 15 to 19.
Bucayu said they have not included high-profile inmates in the list.
“Kung may high-profile kasi baka i-oppose lang at madamay pa ’yung ibang qualified,” he said.
Go was convicted of murder in 1993 and was sentenced to a jail term of 40 years for the death of 25-year- old De La Salle University student Eldon Maguan in 1991.
Perfecto T. Raymundo | Philippines News Agency