The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) said the granting of absolute pardon to US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton is an “injustice” not only to Jennifer Laude and her family but to all Filipinos. Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, General Secretary of the NCCP, said the absolute pardon also showed how little President Duterte values the life of a transgender and a Filipino. “It is like they killed Jennifer again and deeply wounded her family and loved ones anew. It also belittles the rights and dignity of our LGBT community that are pushing for justice and equality and our sovereignty as a nation,” he said in a statement Wednesday. On Monday, President Duterte granted an absolute pardon to Pemberton, who was found guilty of killing the transgender Filipina Jennifer Laude in 2014.