US Marines Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton accused for murdering Filipino transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude in Olongapo City is now under custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in its General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
AFP Chief of Staff Gregorio Catapang said that the US soldier will be detained at the Mutual Defense Board Security Engagement Facility while the preliminary investigation is ongoing. He also said that the detention facility where Pemberton will be held might change depending on the court’s decision as soon as the trial commences.
Catapang showed a video of the military’s inspection of the airconditioned 20-footer container van with military cot bed where he will be detained.
Pemberton was a no-show at yesterday’s preliminary hearing in an Olongapo City Court regarding the murder of Laude despite statements of the Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs urging the accused and his superiors to make Pemberton available for the hearing. Pemberton was reportedly in US custody aboard the amphibious USS Peleliu docked at Subic port.
Nationalist groups have been calling for the Philippine government to uphold its sovereignty and maintain the custody of the Pemberton in Philippine facilities. The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which came under fire after Laude’s slay has been criticized and lawmakers wanted a review of the military accord for its abrogation. The Makabayan bloc in the Lower House have filed a resolution calling for the abrogation of the agreement, and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago likewise called for the VFA’s junking. The lady senator also called for a Senate inquiry regarding the slay of Laude.
