United States Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton is "very happy" with the grant of absolute pardon given him by President Duterte and may write a letter to the family of Jennifer Laude before his release from detention.
Rowena Garcia-Flores, Pemberton's lawyer, assured the public that Pemberton will not be “spirited away” from the country, and will comply with all legal requirements before he leaves the country.
She said she has already talked to Pemberton and that the latter was “very happy” about the news.
Flores said she expects Pemberton to be released from detention this week.
The lawyer said she would also advise Pemberton to write a letter to the Laude family.
“He is very sorry that these things happened,” Flores said.
“I would like him to deliberate on what he will say so that he will not offend the Laude family,” she added.
Flores said she was “surprised” with President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to grant her client an absolute pardon.
In an interview with ANC on Tuesday, Flores said she did not “personally apply for any pardon from the President.”
“I didn’t know that any was forthcoming or that anybody filed for pardon on his behalf],” she added.
Flores said the President has “discretion, power, and authority” to grant “motu proprio or on his own” a pardon.
Flores also expressed gratitude to the President for “applying the law” to Pemberton, who was convicted of killing transgender woman Jennifer Laude.
"I'm very thankful to our President for giving this pardon," she said.
"It's not as if the President was giving extremely special treatment to Pemberton but in case of a gray area, he has to comply and decide in accordance with the general principles of the law as well,” she added.