NEWSFLASH

---

WRONG LEGAL MOVE KEEPS ROBIN IN JAIL

Malacanang, Feb. 6, 1998 - President Ramos yesterday granted absolute pardon and conditional parole to 127 convicts but actor Robin Padilla, who is eligible for clemency, was not on the list.

According to Malacanang, Padilla's lawyers have not yet applied for executive clemency with the Board of Pardons and Parole. Instead, Padilla's requests for clemency have been addressed to the Office of the President.

"This should not be the case since there is a proper body that with which they could pursue this," said the office of the chief presidential legal counsel.

Addressing clemency requests directly to the President was a practice in the 70s. "Panahon pa yun ng martial law. Hindi na uso yun," said an official.

Robin Padilla was initially sentenced to 17-20 years imprisonment for illegal possession of firearms. His sentence was later reduced to 6-9 years after the illegal firearms law was amended upon the initiative of Senator Ramos Revilla.

---