ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines, 5 January 2008 — Romeo Jalosjos, the influential Filipino politician convicted of rape, was sent back to the national penitentiary in Manila yesterday, more than a week after he walked out of the tightly guarded prison.
The wealthy former member of the House of Representatives remained defiant as he was escorted by police officers in this southern port city to a private plane at around 4 p.m.
Upon arrival at the Manila airport, jail officials whisked him away and escorted him back to the New Bilibid Prison in Manila’s southern suburb of Muntinlupa.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez ordered jail officials to return Jalosjos to Muntinlupa after a court in Zamboanga City denied the convict’s petition questioning his continued detention.
The odyssey of Jalosjos began 13 years ago when he was convicted to two life terms for raping an 11-year-old girl.
For reasons that remain undisclosed, he was granted executive clemency effective Dec. 16 last year by presidential Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita supposedly on orders of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, even though he served only 13 years in prison.
Arroyo denied giving the order amid an outrage and accusations by human rights advocates and women’s groups that she was favoring the powerful and wealthy convicts, while tens of thousands of poor crime suspects languished in jail even though they have yet to be convicted by the courts.
Arroyo’s aides earlier said Jalosjos was included in a list of convicts to be pardoned due to their advanced age.
It was found out later that Jalosjos was still three years shy of 70, the age set for those to be considered for pardon, regardless of the length of their sentence, they explained.
Arroyo, however, did not categorically say she was taking back the order. Before Christmas Day, Jalosjos walked out of Muntinlupa and flew to his hometown Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte province.
As condemnations escalated, police re-arrested him and took him to the San Ramon Penal Colony in Zamboanga City.
Jalosjos’ lawyer then questioned before a local court his client’s continued detention, showing alleged proof that he was granted presidential pardon. Last Thursday, Judge Jesus Carbon denied the petition.
