After granting amnesty to over 300 soldiers involved in three destabilization attempts against the previous administration, President Benigno Aquino III was asked to give similar attention to “common prisoners" languishing in jails for a long time.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care said many common prisoners are even “more deserving" of amnesty than the mutineers.
“I pray that amnesty and executive clemency, the power of the president, will be used particularly to a lot of so-called common criminals who have languished and are still languishing in jail. There are many of them," CBCP ECPPC executive director Rodolfo Diamante said in an article posted Thursday on the CBCP news site.
Diamante noted some 96,000 inmates across the country are languishing behind bars with “hundreds" already recommended by the Board of Pardons and Parole for amnesty.
On Tuesday, Aquino said he has signed a proclamation granting amnesty to soldiers involved in destabilization attempts against the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Those included in the amnesty grant are soldiers and officers involved in: the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny; February 2006 Marines standoff, and the November 2007 Manila Peninsula takeover.
However, Diamante said Aquino should not imitate what the previous administration had done, giving of amnesty only to high-profile offenders such as convicted rapist and former Rep. Romeo Jalosjos, convicted killer Claudio Teehankee Jr., and former President Joseph Estrada.
“If he wants change and he talks of change, he should change the system. It will have to start on him on how he exercises that kind of privilege (granting the amnesty)," he said.
“It’s about time that he gave attention to those who committed the so-called common crime," he added.
Destabilization attempts
Aquino granted amnesty to soldiers involved in these three destabilization attempts against Arroyo:
Oakwood mutiny — occurred on July 27, 2003 when 321 armed soldiers, who called themselves "Bagong Katipuneros" (New Katipuneros) took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center (now Ascott Makati) serviced apartment tower in Makati City. Led by Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala and then Lt. Senior Grade and now Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, the mutineers protested against the alleged corruption of the Arroyo administration;
Manila Peninsula incident — On November 29, 2007, Trillanes, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, Capt. Nicanor Faeldon and other Magdalo officials walked out of their trial and marched through the streets of Makati City, calling for the ouster of Arroyo. They then headed to The Peninsula Manila Hotel along Ayala Avenue in Makati City and seized its second floor;
February 2006 Marine standoff — The Philippines was placed under a state of emergency on February 24, 2006 after the government foiled an alleged coup d'état attempt; Arroyo lifted the state of emergency on March 3, 2006. – VVP
