DAVAO CITY – Members of the women’s group, Gabriela, held candle lighting protest today to commemorate the first year death anniversary of Jennifer Laude.
The group also demanded for the immediate resolution of the murder case filed against US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton.
GABRIELA Secretary General Joms Salvador said that “Pemberton has admitted to strangling Jennifer after he discovered her gender.”
“This is clear proof of his guilt and we are hoping that justice will prevail this time,” she added.
In a statement, Gabriela demanded the conviction of Pemberton for murder and “he should be jailed here as he committed the crime in the Philippine territory.”
“Punishment for violence against women is a non-compromise. Only in this way can we send the message that the Filipino people will not allow the US or any other country to trample on our sovereignty,” Salvador said.
The group also reiterated its call to junk the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which was signed by the governments of the Philippines and the United States in 1998. The agreement was said to “strengthen the security relationship between the Philippines and the US,” which allows the entry and operation of US troops in the country.
Salvador said that “in the past, cases of violence against women committed by US troops did not even reach the courts or if they ever did, the US would intervene with settlements.”
She added that “recently, reports of offers for settlement with amounts ranging from P21 million to P38 million plus US visas were floated but were rejected by the Laude family.”
“The US will do everything, from fair to foul, to protect its interests,” she said.
The protest was held at the University of the Philippines in Diliman in cooperation with the university gender office. (davaotoday.com)
