ILOILO City – Certain groups plan to challenge before the Supreme Court the executive clemency granted to former mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog. His camp is unfazed.
Jeric Jucaban, one of Mabilog’s legal counsels, said the President’s authority to grant clemency is firmly grounded in the Constitution.
“Any legal challenge should be based on a solid and accurate understanding of the law rather than misinterpretations or selective readings of jurisprudence,” Jucaban said.
Former councilor Plaridel Nava, one of Mabilog’s critics, argued that the executive clemency is legally questionable.
He claimed that a Supreme Court ruling prohibits the President from granting clemency in cases involving administrative dismissals by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Jucaban refuted Nava’s claim, asserting that the 1987 Philippine Constitution explicitly grants the President the power to extend clemency, with specific limitations such as excluding impeachment cases and setting conditions for election offenses and amnesty grants.
“Nowhere in the Constitution does it exclude administrative dismissals by the Ombudsman from the scope of executive clemency,” Jucaban pointed out, adding that any attempt to argue otherwise misconstrues or selectively interprets jurisprudence.
Jucaban stressed that the clemency granted to Mabilog aligns with constitutional provisions, and any challenge to it lacks legal merit.
The President’s clemency powers, Jucaban explained, are designed to serve as a mechanism for justice and mercy in exceptional cases and are not subject to arbitrary limitations.
The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that its role is to ensure government actions remain within constitutional limits, not to question the wisdom or propriety of such actions, he added.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin also defended the clemency, citing Mabilog’s contributions to Iloilo City during his tenure, including awards and recognition for good governance, transparency, and anti-drug campaigns.
Palace officials emphasized that the clemency restores Mabilog’s political rights and is a testament to the Marcos administration’s recognition of public officials who demonstrate excellence in governance./PN
