By Katrina S.S.

It’s been painful, hearing about, and watching the story of, Jennifer Laude’s murder unfold. It is sad enough that there is a murder of any person in the hands of Americans brought onto these shores on “legal business.” But to hear the Philippine President speak of it like it’s a run-of-the-mill death, like it happened in a vacuum, like there is no American Marine as who is the prime suspect, is the height of insensitivity.

Read on…

south africa:  in the sentence hearing of oscar pistorius for culpable homicide in the death of reeva steenkamp, the plea of the defense is that pistorius not be made to spend time in jail, a social worker pointing to overcrowding, drugs, gangs, sodomy and the lack of facilities for disabled prisoners.  says prosecutor nel, a private cell then…

philippines: in the controversy over the custody of US marine scott pemberton in the killing of transgender jennifer laude, it’s okay with VFA  and EDCA supporters that pemberton remain in US custody, given the dismal state of our jails: he could get raped, killed, mauled.

but wait, we, too, have all kinds of jails.  while “innocent until proven guilty” surely we can find him accommodations in the PNP custodial center in camp crame where estrada and revilla are detained, or some similarly safe facility?  call it special treatment, whatever, but it’s far far fairer and more correct having him  in philippine custody where our own police and our own media can keep tabs on him rather than having him mostly hidden in the american embassy a la daniel smith, or on some warship, and shielded from the public eye.