US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was recently granted absolute pardon by President Rodrigo Duterte, will be forever banned in the Philippines following his deportation, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced.
“It comes with the deportation. Lahat ng foreign national na dine-deport natin they are included in our blacklist, perpetual po ‘yan, ‘di na papayagang bumalik ng Pilipinas,” BI Spokesperson Dana Sandoval said.
[All deported foreigners are included in our perpetual blacklist. They will no longer be allowed to return to the Philippines.]
Pemberton was convicted after he brutalized and killed Filipina transgender Jennifer Laude after they met at a bar in the northern city of Olongapo in 2014. He admitted to choking Laude after finding out she had male genitals following an intimate act.
Jennifer Laude’s body was found in an Olongapo City hotel, with her head slumped in a toilet bowl.
Duterte pardoned Pemberton, clearing all legal obstacles to the soldier’s release, despite him serving just over half his 10-year sentence.
“We are waiting din for the details of the flight schedule but we’re hoping siguro within 1 o 2 days, so mga this weekend yun o possible early next week,” Sandoval said.
“Walang fixed timeline sa implementation ng deportation. Kailangan lang po talaga na antayin ang mga dokumento,” she said.
[There is no fixed timeline in the implementation of deportation. We just need to wait for the documents.]
