Will the same pardon eventually be granted to others with similar cases?
On Tue, Nov 15, actor Robin Padilla was granted absolute pardon by President Rodrigo Duterte following their meeting at Malacañang Palace.
“Padilla, a staunch supporter of Duterte, was convicted of illegal possession of firearms in 1994. He was released after being granted conditional pardon by former President Fidel Ramos three years later,” recalls ABS-CBN News.
The report noted: “TV host-actress Mariel Rodriguez, Padilla’s wife, on Mon, Nov 14, gave birth to a baby girl in the United States. It is the couple’s first child since getting married back in 2010 in India. Padilla was unable to travel to the U.S. after failing to secure a visa.”
In a Philippine Daily Inquirer article, it was revealed that Duterte granted the pardon upon the recommendation of the Board of Parole, which is under the Department of Justice.
Duterte explained, “I just granted pardon in favor of Robin Padilla kasi yung original pardon niya hindi sinabi yung (because the original pardon granted to him didn’t specify) [the] full restoration of political and civil rights, therefore he could not travel, he could not get a permit…to possess a gun again. I really do not know the dimension of what is meant by deprivation of political and human rights. But one thing is that you cannot vote, you cannot travel and therefore he could not be issued a passport.”
Duterte added, “Basta yung pardon ko (But the pardon that I granted to him) [entails] the full restoration of his civil and political rights.”
