Maureen's mother scores Arroyo for Teehankee release

MANILA, Philippines - “I hope they can sleep at night.” This was the message of Vivian Hultman, mother of slain teenager Maureen Hultman, to the government officials who facilitated the release of her daughter’s convicted killer, Claudio Teehankee Jr. In an interview with GMA’s news desk aired over Saksi, Mrs Hultman said they were “shocked” by the news that Teehankee is now a free man. “All this news that they got today was so shocking to us. We're paralyzed by the news that he (Teehankee) is already out,” an irate Mrs Hultman said. Asked by news anchor Vicky Morales if her message extends to President Arroyo, she said “Yes, ma’m.” “This is a disgrace to the Filipino nation. This is the highest form of injustice in the country and I’m really, really ashamed to be a Filipino,” she said. Vivian, together with her husband Anders, has left the country for Sweden after the incident, which is considered one of the most celebrated murder cases in the country. It was among the "heinous" cases that fueled calls for the re-imposition of the death penalty. President Arroyo approved the granting of executive clemency to Teehankee by virtue of a letter dated October 2 to the Office of the National Bilibid Prisons Director. Teehankee had been in prison since 1991. Teehankee, in Dec. 22, 1992, was convicted of murder for the death of Maureen, then 17 years old; of homicide for the death of Roland John Chapman, 21; and of frustrated murder for the wounding of Jussi Leino, 24. In a separate interview also by GMA’s news deask, Anders Hultman said President Arroyo “secretly and sneakily” released Teehankee, saying they were not properly consulted about the matter. He denied Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s statement that the government has informed them of Teehankee’s possible executive clemency. “We know that the family (of Teehankee) has appealed for his release but that has no legal bearing in terms of releasing him without telling us that the government was considering so. The executive secretary, I'm sorry to say this, is lying to the public,” he said. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV