US embassy cable - 05MANILA219

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 000219 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/PMBS, INR/EAP, INR/B, DRL/CRA, G/TIP 
NSC FOR GREEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINR, RP 
SUBJECT: TRADING A CHILD RAPIST FOR VOTES ON FISCAL 
MEASURES? 
 
REF: 04 MANILA 06069 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Andrew McClearn for Reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Over 50 congressmen have signed "a letter 
of appeal" calling for President Arroyo to pardon former 
congressman Romeo Jalosjos, who has been in jail since 1997 
for raping an 11 year old girl.  President Arroyo is studying 
the request, apparently in a ploy to win votes for her 
legislative program on fiscal reforms, but there is also very 
strong opposition.  According to a senior adviser, she will 
almost certainly not grant the pardon.  Even contemplation of 
pardoning a convicted child rapist highlights Arroyo's 
continued insecurity over her political position.  End 
Summary. 
 
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Pressing for a Pardon 
--------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) With signatures of over 50 congressmen, a recent 
"letter of appeal" called for President Arroyo to pardon 
influential former congressman Romeo Jalosjos, who was 
arrested in 1997 and subsequent convicted for rape of an 11 
year old girl.  (Note:  See Para five for further background. 
end note)  Deputy Speaker Abdulgani "Gerry" Salapuddin from 
Mindanao and Representative Ernesto Nieva from Manila are 
leading calls for his pardon, along with Jalosjos' brother 
Cesar and sister Cecilia, both current members of the House. 
Over the holidays, Jalosjos' mother Angelina led her family 
in making an emotional public appeal to the President to 
grant clemency on the basis that his health had deteriorated 
while in prison. 
 
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Arroyo Considers Matter 
----------------------- 
 
3.  (C) Several sources have confirmed that President Arroyo 
is indeed studying the pardon request.  The President's 
Political Adviser Gabriel Claudio told Dep Polcouns on 
January 12 that Arroyo was "closely reviewing the matter as 
she awaited further input from the Department of Justice." 
He confirmed press reports that Presidential chief of staff 
and former National Security Adviser Norberto "Bert" 
Gonzales, a known political ally of Jalosjos, was also urging 
her to grant the pardon "on humanitarian grounds."  Claudio 
added that some of the representatives who had signed the 
request for a pardon had indicated that their support for 
Arroyo's legislative agenda -- notably, some key fiscal and 
tax reform measures -- could hinge on whether or not she 
granted the pardon. 
 
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GMA -- Leaning Against Pardon 
----------------------------- 
 
4.  (C) However, Claudio assured Dep Polcouns that he did not 
believe that Arroyo would grant the pardon.  Most politicians 
and other people he had canvassed were fiercely opposed to a 
pardon to a convicted child rapist.  He noted in particular 
that Secretary of Social Welfare and Development Corazon 
"Dinky" Soliman and Senate President Franklin Drilon, both 
close allies of the President, had publicly voiced their 
opposition, along with leftist groups and civil society 
advocates for women's and children's rights. 
Pro-administration Congressman Ronaldo Puno confided to Dep 
Polcouns during a recent meeting that he also did not think 
Arroyo would grant the pardon.  He added, however, that there 
was "a slim possibility" that she might do so because of "her 
political insecurities."  Puno remarked that a possible 
pardon of Jalosjos was questionable on legal grounds in any 
case because he had not served the required minimum prison 
time corresponding to his life sentence, and thus was not yet 
eligible for parole.  Puno added that he had met with 
Jalosjos in early 2004 and found the former congressman 
active and in good health, which he commented should indicate 
that humanitarian parole should not be a serious option. 
 
-------------------------- 
Further Background on Case 
-------------------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) Jalosjos was already a long-time politician when 
police arrested him in 1997 for raping an 11 year old girl. 
He received two life terms sentences in 1998.  Jalosjos was a 
popular representative from Zamboanga del Norte province in 
Mindanao and the scion of a highly-influential family. 
Despite his conviction and imprisonment, he won reelection to 
the House in both 1998 and 2001 (his seat remained vacant 
during those terms).  The 65-year-old Jalosjos reportedly 
still wields considerable political power even from prison. 
He remains a key member of an influential regional political 
grouping in Western Mindanao called the "Partido Demokratiko 
Sosyalista ng Pilipinas," currently chaired by Bert Gonzales. 
 In addition, Jalosjos, once a television producer and the 
owner of a luxury resort, enjoys strong support from many in 
the entertainment industry. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
6.  (C) That Arroyo would even contemplate pardoning a 
convicted child rapist highlights her continued insecurity 
over her political position and surprisingly weak base, 
despite nominal strong majorities for her Administration in 
both Houses.  Since winning last year's election in a close 
vote and amid much controversy over voting irregularities, 
Arroyo has appeared to lack confidence, a factor that became 
glaringly apparent when the kidnapping of Filipino worker 
Angelo de la Cruz in Iraq led to her decision to withdraw a 
Philippine peacekeeping contingent early.  In a similar 
anxious state, she seems to be reviewing Jalosjos' case as a 
way to appease a large segment of the House and other friends 
of Jalosjos.  The good news is that she appears unlikely to 
grant the pardon request, especially in the wake of a recent 
informal agreement that Congress and the Senate could pass 
whichever tax bills they like as long as the net result was 
80 billion pesos more in revenue.  If she does, however, 
Arroyo's reputation for caving in to pressure will only grow, 
but this time with a blow to her popularity polls. 
Ricciardone