Clemency comes too late for ailing detainee

President Benigno Aquino III finally granted executive pardon to a cancer-stricken political detainee only to learn later that the prisoner had died four days earlier.

A Palace official said Friday that it would improve coordination among concerned agencies involved in the President Aquino’s grant of executive clemency to convicts.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte made the remarks after Malacañang learned that Mariano Umbrero, a cancer-stricken political detainee, died on July 15.

President Aquino signed his pardon on July 19 or four days later.

“We tried to find out what happened and no information was forthcoming… In the interim, nobody informed the Office of the President that Mr. Umbrero already passed on,” Valte said during Friday’s news briefing.

“First off, we want to send our condolences to those he left behind and we find it unfortunate that there was a supervening event,” she added.

Valte said the administration hopes that somehow the executive clemency the President granted would somehow ease the pain of Umbrero’s loved ones.

“We are now looking at closer coordination in these cases. And we hope that the clemency, given by the President, even if it came after his death, even if for just a bit, would somehow lessen the sorrow of those he left behind,” Valte said.

According to Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Umbrero was diagnosed with lung cancer in February. The group has been campaigning for his release on humanitarian grounds since early March.