The murder of a “transgender,” Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, in Olongapo City, for which US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton has been accused and arrested, has revived calls for a review of the 1998 Philippine-US Visiting Forces Agreement. Some have called for the scrapping of the treaty altogether. This comes as no surprise, but it would be good to see these calls grounded on the most compelling reasons, not just on a Marine’s sexual adventure that ended in a murder most foul.
Murder most foul is murder most foul in any language, regardless of the identity of its victim or perpetrator. Thus, if the 19-year-old Marine is guilty of murder, he should suffer the full consequences of his crime. The Manila government should make sure the law is followed and justice is done; it should oppose any effort on the part of the US government, if there be any such effort, to protect the guilty from the effects of his crime.
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