Brother's reminder facilitated Teehankee release - DOJ chief

MANILA, Philippines - A "reminder" from an ambassador brother played a key role in the release of convicted murderer Claudio Teehankee Jr, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Tuesday. In a radio interview, Gonzalez also admitted the aggrieved parties or the relatives of the victim should have been informed of the decision to release Teehankee. "Three weeks ago bago umalis iyan, umalis sa Switzerland, dumaan sa office ko, hopefully sabi niya baka sakaling mapalaya ang kapatid niya (Three weeks ago, before leaving for Switzerland, Teehankee's brother went to my office and said hopefully I can facilitate his brother's release)," he said in an interview on dwIZ radio. He was referring to Manuel A.J. Teehankee, the Philippine representative to the World Trade Organization. Gonzalez said that in the case of Claudio Jr, the petition for clemency had been pending for three years. He added that three years ago, the ambassador was still a Justice undersecretary. "So I ordered the Bureau of Corrections (and the Board of Pardons and Parole) to re-compute his (Claudio Jr's) credits," Gonzalez said. He admitted that while Teehankee had not served his full sentence, he had earned enough good behavior credits to have his sentence commuted. But Gonzalez also admitted that the government should have informed the aggrieved parties about the decision. "In a way dapat meron tayo in the sense ang aggrieved parties, they are allowed to protest or object before the clemency is given. But it does not mean to say porke't nag-object ang aggrieved parties, that will stop the President from giving executive clemency (In a way we should have informed the aggrieved parties, so they are allowed to object before the clemency is given. But then again, that does not stop the president from giving executive clemency)," he said. Meanwhile, Gonzalez said another convicted killer, Rolito Go, may not find the sailing so smooth for his release, saying the family of victim Eldon Maguan objects to his getting clemency. Go shot dead Maguan in a traffic altercation in the early 1990s. "Mahigpit ang objection ni Maguan. Pero binayaran ng civil damages, tinanggap na nila (Maguan's family is objecting to Go's release but had accepted civil damage payments)," Gonzalez said. On the other hand, he contested a reported statement of Public Attorney's Office head Persida Acosta to have the soldiers in the Aquino-Galman double-murder case get clemency too. "Ganyan talaga ang lakad ng buhay. We don't know the reasons...the nitty-gritty of the reasons for that, judgment call ng presidente yan (That's the way life is. We don't know the reasons or the nitty-gritty of the president's reason for granting clemency. This is a judgment call on her part)," he said. - GMANews.TV