No assurance Teehankee is a reformed man - VACC

MANILA, Philippines – There is no assurance that convicted killer Claudio Teehankee Jr is already a reformed man. This was the statement of Dante Jimenez, founding chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), as he questioned the executive clemency granted by President Arroyo on the murderer of Maureen Hultman and Roland John Chapman. In her report aired over GMA news’ 24 Oras, Sandra Aguinaldo said Jimenez expressed concern about over the pardon given to Teehankee, who was convicted for the murder of Hultman and Chapman, and for seriously wounding Jussi Leino, in Dasmarinas Village, Makati in 1991. “Kailangan malaman natin kung ito bang si Teehankee Jr kapag pinalaya (ay) hindi na gagawin yun kanyang ginawa noon,” Jimenez said. The report also noted that Teehankee’s state of mind was not thoroughly discussed during the trial hearing to shed light on why he committed the crime. Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio of the Office of the Ombudsman said what was established during the trial was that Teehankee had an insomnia, reason why he was wandering inside the village at early morning when he chanced upon the victims, who just came from a party. Villa-Ignacio acted as the public prosecutor of the Hultman-Champan murder case at that time. Ambassador Manuel Teehankee, younger brother of Claudio Jr, said that although the latter’s mental state was not discussed in the trial, his brother has undergone counseling inside the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City for his transformation. Some psychologists in the NBP, however, denied that they are the ones who gave counseled Teehankee inside the prison cell, according to the report. The prison’s chaplain, Msgr Bobby Olaguer, also denied that he provided counseling for the convicted murderer. A psychiatrist emphasized the need for person who has psychological problem to be treated even if he is convict. “Some psychiatric disorder, when you grow older, it mellows down. Kung 20 years ago na meron na rin nagme-mellow down. Pero hindi pa rin ganung ka-significant for most people kasi hindi naman nalaman ang problema mo,” explained Dr. Genuina Ranay of St. Luke’s Medical Center’s psychiatric section. But Ambassador Teehankee assured that his brother is already a change man. “He has really been transformed. He has become more humble. He has really suffered a lot with the loss of on his children,” he said. Even Quezon City Rep. Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo, who is also a former NBP inmate and recipient of pardon during the Marcos administration, agreed that Teehankee should be given a second chance. “Kapag matagal ka sa bilangguan you have a lot of time to look back at your past, your mistakes. After all, the Lord said in the Bible, lets him with no sin cast the first stone,” he said. - GMANews.TV