Call Her Ganda (2018) Movie Script

[music plays]

[glass breaks]

[gentle rain falling]

Subtitles by explosiveskull

[gentle rain falling]

[wind chimes ringing]

[glamorous music]

♪ ♪

[melancholy music]

♪ ♪

[melancholy music]

[Male Reporter] Witnesses

said a white man

with a Marine haircut

met Jeffrey Laude,

who was dressed as a woman

at a nightclub in Olongapo City

on Saturday night.

[melancholy music]

[Female Reporter] The body

of 26-year-old Laude

was found in this

hotel in Olongapo City.

American troops

there were on a break

from military exercises

for the Philippines.

[Meredith] I first learned

about Jennifer Laude

through social media.

I felt a connection

to her immediately,

just as a Filipino trans woman.

[melancholy music]

♪ ♪

[Reporter] Reports out

of the Philippines

say the Marine and the

victim met in a nightclub.

The two left the club with

one of Jennifer's friends

and went to a hotel

where they were

captured by security cameras.

Three other Marines

are being questioned

as possible witnesses.

[ominous somber music]

[crying]

She was just a very

natural person.

She was a very giving person.

She was kind, friendly

to everyone, open-minded.

She was just trying to

live a very normal life.

This is not an isolated case.

[blades whirring]

[somber orchestral music]

From day one that we

handled this case,

we already know the

Laudes' situation.

That's the very reason

why Harry and I

offered our services pro bono.

If you don't have money, you

don't have access to justice.

What kind of a self-respecting

country can we be

if we cannot even

implement our laws

when they are breached

in our territory

and when a victim is a Filipino?

You know, I ask you one thing.

For who it is more

fun in the Philippines

for the Philippine people

or for the U.S. soldiers,

who having everything they

want with no response taken,

and for the cheapest money

they can get?

That's all I wanted

to say about that.

[Skype ringing]

- Can you hear me?

- Yes, I can hear you.

[Meredith] I guess

a good place to start

would be to ask you how

your relationship began.

[Marc] You know, love on

the first sight

is something which I have

considered unrealistic.

But she was even more adorable,

natural person when we met

and after three, four days,

it was clear for me that this

was the person of my life.

[Meredith] What do you

think happened that night?

The only person

who could tell us

what was her intention

to be there that evening

is Jennifer herself.

Unlike other ladyboys

probably have to work

that way every night, she had

different chances than that.

Whatever she did

to end up there,

it has nothing to do with

what happened inside.

Simply nothing.

You know, she was killed on

the 11th of October.

October 1, we got

the confirmation

that her visa is granted.

Here in Germany, the official

wedding date was set.

Her wedding dress

was bought already.

We are just inches away to make

our both dream of life

come true.

[somber music]

How the killing of a

trans Filipina woman

ignited an

international incident.

On October 11 of last year,

the U.S. Marines stationed

aboard the USS Peleliu

got their first night of liberty

after their Tarawa-class

amphibious assault ship

docked in Subic Bay.

Private First Class

Joseph Scott Pemberton,

a 19-year-old from New Bedford,

Massachusetts,

eagerly disembarked

with his battle buddies

Bennett Dahl, Daniel Pulido,

and Jairn Rose.

Jennifer first

left her apartment

with her friend, Jamille.

They took a tricycle

to Ambyanz Nightclub

and arrived there at

approximately 10:30.

[Meredith] The club

was a frequent hangout

for sex workers known

as Pocahontases,

a riff on pok-pok, a

Tagalog term for slut,

which also alludes to

the former colonizers

who often patronize them.

The most dogged of these women,

those who quickly

latch onto the arms

of the men pouring

off the ships,

are usually transgender.

But the foreign soldiers

rarely learned that.

Approximately at 10:45,

Private First Class

Joseph Scott Pemberton

entered Ambyanz with

three other Marines.

[Meredith] The

women had been working

since the soldiers went

on liberty that afternoon.

And by 10:45, when

Laude met Pemberton,

she'd already been

with three clients.

"Jennifer was exhausted,"

said another friend Charis.

"We work as hard as we can

when the soldiers are here."

Within a few minute of meeting,

Pemberton and Laude left

for the Celzone Lodge,

a motel across the street,

accompanied by Laude's friend,

Barbie Gelviro.

According to Elias,

the cashier bellboy,

Pemberton, Jennifer,

and Barbie

entered Celzone Lodge at

approximately 11:05 p.m.

Elias assigned them

room number one.

[Meredith] Gelviro stayed

with the couple for a minute

to help negotiate a rate.

Laude suggested 5,000 pesos,

but Pemberton only wanted

to pay 1,000, about $25.

Laude, nervous that

Pemberton might discover

the girls were trans, quickly

agree to the lower rate

and rushed her friend

out of the room.

About 30 minutes

after the group

had arrived at the motel,

Pemberton casually walked

out of his room alone,

leaving the door

slightly ajar behind him.

He seemed unperturbed as

he passed the front desk

and walked down the

steps into the night.

His curfew was

rapidly approaching

and he and his shipmates

needed to return together.

Elias expected that

Jennifer would shortly follow.

But 15 minutes have passed,

no one came out of the room.

As they were about

to go to sleep,

Pemberton approached Rose

and asked to talk

to him in private.

They walked over to

the front of the ship

far from human ears,

with only the ocean

and the sky to listen.

Pemberton said that

he saw it had a dick.

He told Rose he got so angry,

that he choked it from behind.

"I think I killed a

he-she," Pemberton said.

The medical report

would show that Jennifer

died of asphyxia due to

strangulation and drowning

and the same is reflected

in her death certificate.

Her entire back

was black and blue.

[somber orchestral music]

♪ ♪

[indistinct chatter]

In so far as the citizenry,

the Filipino citizenry

is concerned,

this is duly served.

The notice is duly served

to the person of Pemberton.

You cannot help this case.

You cannot help the Laudes.

If you just know things

about the killing,

if you just know

things about the murder

because it's not a

simple case of murder.

At the police station,

then I will have to

check it one-by-one against...

The relationship between the

U.S. and the Philippines

is really a relationship between

a colonizer and a

colony or a neo-colony.

[energetic orchestral music]

[Film Narrator] This is the

story of the Philippines,

a nation of islands

on the eastern rim

of the vast Pacific Ocean.

Discovered over 400 years ago

by the explorer Magellan,

the Philippines were

ruled by the Spaniards

for more than 200 years.

[military marching music]

We are a colony of

the United States.

We were purchased allegedly,

from Spain.

We were said to have been

granted independence.

But in exchange,

we've had to agree

that U.S. bases will remain

in the Philippines.

[dramatic orchestral music]

[melancholy music]

[somber orchestral music]

♪ ♪

[upbeat orchestral music]

♪ ♪

The VFA stands for

Visiting Forces Agreement.

This VFA really comes

into play in this case

because it reads about

how the Philippines

should treat the U.S. soldiers.

[upbeat piano music]

[Film Narrator] What exactly

is legal hold?

It may be one of the best things

we have in the Philippines.

Legal hold means that if

you're charged with a crime

under local laws, you'll be

turned over to U.S. authorities

rather than left

in a local lock-up.

Put it this way,

it would be unthinkable

for a foreign soldier

to commit murder in America

and not be apprehended

by U.S. police

and not be tried by U.S. courts.

But what's happened in this case

is we have an instance

where an American Marine

committed a non-service

related offense.

Number one, he

remains in the custody

of American soldiers.

Number two, he was never

physically investigated

by Philippine authorities.

Number three, his attendance

in court proceedings

is a matter of cooperation

with American authorities

rather than as part of

mandatory judicial proceedings.

With the VFA, it's like

the Filipinos are being

served on a silver platter.

Here are the Philippines,

kill them.

Here are the Filipinas,

rape them.

Because even if

you are convicted,

your custody will be transferred

to the U.S. Embassy;

it's like you're free.

[Female Reporter] It's a wrap

for U.S. President Barack Obama.

The U.S. reached a

10-year defense deal

to allow more U.S. troops

in the Philippines.

As the U.S. is now

trying even to expand

its presence in the Philippines

through the Enhanced Defense

Cooperation Agreement,

the bigger question is, "What's

in it for the Filipinos?"

To our Filipino Armed Forces,

thank you for being such

an outstanding ally.

God bless the Republic

of the Philippines.

God bless the

United States of America.

God bless the alliance

between our great nations.

Thank you.

[audience applauding]

[somber orchestral music]

[low ambient background noise]

[somber strings music]

♪ ♪

[somber strings music]

♪ ♪

[background traffic noise]

♪ If you think that I'm

still holdin' on ♪

♪ Maybe you should go

and love yourself ♪

[food sizzling]

Bye!

I mean, that is really

not only unjust

to the family of Laude,

but also unjust to

the Filipino people.

Let me see the documents.

The entire documents

are in there.

The report is very frustrating.

Yeah, was taken

by the Americans.

Remember our Filipino

police authorities

was unable to get the

KamaSutra condom wrapper.

Yeah, it was only the

American authorities,

the NCIS agent who

got hold the condom,

the KamaSutra condom wrapper,

not our authorities.

That is very interesting to me.

[somber chime music]

In my family, I'm the only one

who's able to finish college.

My father is a tricycle driver

and my mother does

not have regular work.

He's a typical father

who thinks that daughters

need not go to college.

After all, they'll

just get married.

I was telling myself,

"No, I have to finish.

"I have to reach college.

I have to be able to do

something to help the family."

[indistinct chatter]

A lot of people would think that

murder is always premeditated.

There are other two elements:

the abuse of superior

strength and the cruelty.

That's the reason why

they had been saying that

after all Jennifer is a trans,

but he is still a man.

The Marines, you know,

yes they have training.

But they only spend a few hours

in actual military training.

That is to weaken

our allegation that there

is some kind of abuse

of superior strength.

Definitely there is no doubt

that a Marine, an elite force,

certainly has the

superior strength

over every other individual.

Because if not, what difference

does a U.S. Marine soldier make?

If, in this case,

Pemberton gets convicted

and then after that,

he will be incarcerated

not in the Philippines.

My goodness, that

will all the more show

how lopsided this

VFA agreement is.

Jennifer is dead.

Nothing can beat that,

nothing can change that.

Jennifer is dead.

Who killed Jennifer?

A lot of evidence

points to Pemberton.

[soft techno music]

♪ Skyfall ♪

Woo, good job!

What else do you wanna sing?

You wanna do Lady Gaga?

Sure.

[Meredith] "Poker Face",

"Born This Way".

Yeah, I like "Poker Face".

When did you arrive?

I can't even remember anymore.

Oh, I didn't tell the

Laudes that you interview...

Just actually not

thinking not in terms.

You were just like catch up

with Jamille, Charis and Barbie.

[Naomi] What's she doing now?

- What is she doing?

- She's still in Olongapo.

She doing the same thing.

They call it freelancing.

I think they're still

in a lot of ways

processing what happened.

It's the same thing

where they have to deal

with their feelings

and their fears.

I know that you did

attend one of the...

The hearings in Congress

or in the Senate.

There's been a lot

of movement towards

getting an exhumation order.

They both have this.

Every time the lawyers who's

cosponsoring their bills now,

would mention they're doing

that for Jennifer Laude.

It's really nice.

This issue put the

spotlight on our community.

We actually consider

this a watershed moment

in the history of the

Philippine transgender movement

because for the first time,

people are seeing us.

[soft soothing music]

Transgender people

have always been part

of the history of this country

and that goes back through

Pre-Colonial times.

We saw that in the

Babaylan Chronicles,

which are documents

written by Spanish priests.

They took note of

male-bodied people

who carried themselves

as women.

The work as spiritual

leaders of their communities

were known as the Babaylan.

There's always a sermon.

The establishment of religion

were so that my kind of people

were slowly pushed into

the margins of society.

How the church vanquished

the Babaylan or the Shaman,

it had to make the

Babaylan somewhat scary

so called her a

witch and a swine.

We were othered by the church.

Our bodies are not acceptable.

Our identities are

not acceptable.

We've been forced to be

part of niche industries

like the beauty industry

or the sex industry.

The transgender movement

itself has to work.

They eradicate the

notion that you need

to sell your body

in order to survive.

In the meantime, a lot

of my trans friends

are actually doing sex work.

They're saying that

it's survival sex work

and I completely

understand that.

[energetic trumpet music]

[soft jazzy music]

Your first time in a

foreign country

can be quite an ordeal

if you let it.

Here in the Philippines,

you'll find a lifestyle

that's different

from life in America.

With a little knowledge of

what this assignment is like

before you get there though,

it can be a richly-rewarding

experience.

[psychedelic music]

[Naomi] We know for a

fact that whenever

there's increased military

presence in a certain country,

it always encourages the selling

of bodies for sexual services.

It encourages the

exploitation of women,

girls, female identified.

So that includes

transgender women.

If you're a trans woman,

all the doors close to you.

I mean...

You're not welcome to

certain establishments.

You're discriminated in school.

You're discriminated at work.

You're discriminated in public

and even in your private life.

Whether or not Jennifer Laude

was a sex worker

is something that only

Jennifer Laude can answer.

[somber music]

[Female Reporter] The

U.S. serviceman accused

of killing transgender woman,

Jennifer Laude,

faces prosecutors as

his trial begins today.

Pemberton's lawyers

didn't confirm

whether their client will

take the witness stand

or if a plea bargain

agreement is being considered.

[rain pattering]

[ambient sounds of traffic

passing, horns honk]

[ambient sounds of traffic

passing, horns honk]

[melancholy music]

♪ ♪

[somber music]

[indistinct background chatter]

[soft serene music]

♪ ♪

[Meredith] There are many

differences in our lives,

but the one thing

we do have in common

is that trans experience.

If the circumstances

were different,

our lives could've

totally been reversed

and I could be in her situation.

[muffled crosstalk]

She had this sort of like habit

of putting her arm around me

and we were to talk

confidentially together.

In a way, I am kind

of a manifestation of

what she hoped for Jennifer.

That I'm the person

who is trans,

who has moved to

a foreign country

and has made a good

life for myself.

She would say something like,

"You'd be even more beautiful

if you put on more

makeup like Jennifer."

She also called me Ganda.

[soft serene music]

[tribal drum music]

♪ ♪

[muffled chanting]

[energetic oriental music]

[muffled chanting]

[energetic oriental music]

[muffled chanting]

[energetic oriental music]

♪ ♪

[whistles whistling]

[applause]

[soft oriental music]

[Male Reporter] A day

before testifying

in the Olongapo Regional

Trial Court,

Lisa Pemberton visited

her youngest son,

Lance Corporal Joseph Pemberton.

Very difficult.

He's always been our angel.

I know Joseph would rather

die for his country

than be in this situation.

[Male Reporter] Mrs. Pemberton

denies her son

is angry with members

of the gay community.

She explains Joseph has

been exposed to the issue

since he grew up with a sister

who was a member of

the LGBT community.

His own sister is lesbian,

getting married next month.

He was supposed to be the

best man in the wedding.

[Male Reporter] She says

she can empathize

with the Laude family for

the loss of their loved one.

I feel very sorry

for their loss

and what they've [sniffs]

had to go through.

[indistinct chatter]

In this case, there's

a 30-minute gap

wherein the room where Laude

was, was totally unsecured.

We cannot say that

it was Pemberton

who killed Laude.

When he left Laude in the

bathroom, Laude was still alive.

So, now, since Laude's dead,

probably the question is,

"Who killed Laude?"

[soft guitar music]

♪ ♪

Obviously there's

somebody on the internet

who's invested in humanizing

him in that specific way

and he's presenting him

as this all-American guy,

which he is, he has that image.

They know he's from New Bedford.

Pemberton's sister is a lesbian,

so he's not antipathetic

towards LGBT people.

Rather than this Marine

who is raised in a

culture of LGBT phobia,

it makes him more

complex than that.

There's also a lot

invested in making

Joseph Scott Pemberton

into this monster.

Even if somebody is

out really thinking

that they don't have these

views against trans people,

especially trans women.

There's all of this

sort of like surrounding

environmental and societal

messages they're receiving

that would lead them to

these types of actions.

[keyboard clacking]

Still in the Philippines,

the camp of the slain

transgender Filipina,

Jennifer Laude,

denied reports that they

are pushing for a deal

for 38 million pesos

and six U.S. Visas

in exchange for dropping

the murder case

against U.S. Marine,

Joseph Scott Pemberton.

The denial followed reports

that Pemberton's lawyer,

Rowena Flores, received new

demands from the Laudes family

in exchange for

dropping the case.

[soft, dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[Skype ringing]

- Hey.

- I don't really care

that much what happens to

Pemberton because, you know,

I accept that what will

happen to Pemberton is a

political decision.

But what I can't accept is

that the further

humiliation of the family,

the further disrespect, the

further dishonoring on Jennifer

because she was not political.

Pemberton probably is political,

but Jennifer never was.

It was never her intention

to be part of any

political crap like this.

[Male Reporter] For the first

time since being accused

in the killing of

Filipino transgender

Jennifer Laude,

October 11, 2014,

U.S. Marine Lance Corporal

Joseph Pemberton

testified in court

as a defense witness

in his own murder trial.

Thinking they were real women,

he said he accepted their

offer of checking in

at the Celzone Lodge Motel

to have paid sex.

Barbie performed

oral sex on Pemberton

then immediately left the room.

After a few minutes, Jennifer

did the same to Pemberton.

But when he wanted more,

he was surprised to find out

Jennifer was also

a man like himself.

He said he felt that

he was being raped.

He was so repulsed

and so disgusted

because he did not

give his consent

to allow a man to

do that to him.

[Atty. Filemon Javier]

Pemberton acted only in defense

of his life and honor.

[food sizzling]

The verdict is expected

tomorrow, the Laude murder case.

If it is a conviction,

the Olongapo Court

will have to determine where

U.S. Marine serviceman

Joseph Scott Pemberton

will be detained.

We are confident that the

court will acquit our client.

We believe there is

reasonable doubt.

Barbie was not an eyewitness.

She didn't see anybody killed.

[wind chimes gently ringing]

[ominous music]

Harry will no longer

come here.

He'll go stay with the church.

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

[ominous music]

- Justice for Laude!

We are an independent country.

Therefore, he should be

detained in a Philippine jail.

[intriguing music]

♪ ♪

Oh my goodness.

This is not the voice

of complete justice,

but we had to recognize

that there is victory here.

He's considered a

national prisoner.

[Male Reporter] Pemberton

was surrounded

by two layers of security.

In the inner circle

are US servicemen,

while in the outer circle

are Philippine authorities.

[Male Reporter] Just want to

get permission from a source

present in the courtroom

that the court has called

for a session to hear the

motion of the defense

to satisfy the order

of the court.

[somber orchestral music]

♪ ♪

[somber orchestral music]

♪ ♪

Did the verdict surprise

you at all in any way?

You know, it not surprises me.

For me, it was very clear

form the beginning that

Pemberton would not serve

any day in Philippine trial

whatever counts.

What is the reason to give

him a special treatment?

No one else in the

world would get...

Obviously the reason is that

they know whatever they do

is setting a precedent and

they don't want to be put

in a position where American

military service members

are in danger when

they're overseas.

And so, they're not going

to be able to guarantee

his safety in Philippine prison.

If you go to jail in America

regardless of your

nationality or whatever,

you go to a regular jail, you

don't get a special treatment.

You have to pay the

consequence on what you did.

Referring to the location

and the law you are under.

Hello!

Then tomorrow, we'll

be filing a criminal case

in disobedience through

unlawful order of the court.

Then we're planning

to file a petition.

Even assuming there

is superior strength,

abuse should be proved.

'Cause there's no

second degree murder.

- In the Philippines, yeah.

- In the Philippines,

which is really weird to me.

Because I think

usually in the states

for it to be first

degree murder,

it has to be premeditated.

That's true.

So, that's sort of a...

Yeah, and it's weird.

Does manslaughter exist

in the Philippine?

- No, it's doesn't.

- No?

But again, the way the

judge wrote the verdict

was such that she was

giving all these excuses

in the guise of mitigating

circumstances saying,

"Well, he was drunk.

"It was like a crime of passion,

so we can forgive

him for that."

It was crazy.

After the verdict was read,

then the Americans refused to

give him up to the local police.

It kinda shows that

the Americans aren't

running everything.

It's not completely

orchestrated then.

Oh please Meredith, come on.

Of course they were

running the show.

- I just mean...

- That was how I felt.

I mean, the DOJ's,

I'm sure it [crosstalk].

All I mean is that

it was a surprise

to the Americans that

the order was for

him to go to Bilibid.

That's like a capitulation

on the part of the judge

because when it was read

and the verdict was read,

we felt like the judge was

keeping both parties happy.

She convicted him

of a crime that was

of a lower degree than murder

when it was so clear as daylight

that it was freakin' murder.

The fact that they

weren't prepared

for the custody thing to happen

was really fascinating to me

from a journalistic perspective.

I would ask you to do some

research of that notion

because America as a superpower

is in control of this.

I'm so happy that I'm having

this conversation with you

because now as an

American person

who has Filipino lineage,

you have your foot

on the Philippines

and your foot in America.

You are now in a position

to tell this story

and to be honest about

any court power relations

between our countries.

That's really the culprit,

it all goes back to that.

Jennifer's death is a result

of continued American

imperialism in the Philippines.

There is no denying that.

Yeah.

At 5:30 tonight, a New Bedford

Marine in jail

for killing a

transgender Filipino

is asking a judge to

overturn his conviction.

The court will start to hear

of Pemberton's appeal

on Thursday.

[soft guitar music]

The aftermath of a

U.S. Marine's conviction

in the death of a

Philippine trans woman.

It's close to midnight

in early December

on Waterfront Road in

Olongapo, Philippines.

Dimly lit by yellow

tungsten lamps,

women's figures in tight

clothing walk down the street,

shadows covering their faces.

U.S. service members used to be

able to roam around the area

outside the former base

during their leisure time.

But since Laude's

death last year,

the U.S. Military has

confined service members

to the feed port.

A young woman with hair

halfway down her back

walks alone in Waterfront.

Her figure is slim and taller

than most of the girls

on the street.

"I take my customers here,"

as she gestures

towards the darkness

beyond the road.

Roseanne claims she's 17,

but her voice hasn't

noticeably dropped.

Even though Pemberton

killed Laude

after finding out she was trans,

Roseanne insists that

she needs to keep

her transgender status

from U.S. service members

who pay her for sex.

[Meredith] In the verdict's

aftermath, local officials

and residents are eager for

U.S. troops to come back

and bring money into the

city as they once did.

[Meredith] Locals have even

accused the Laudes of being

selfish by not settling

the case early.

By having gone to trial,

the liberty privileges for

U.S. troops remain suspended,

which in turn has

directly led to hundreds,

if not thousands of locals

losing their sources of income.

Just imagine some businessman

lose about 20 million pesos

in business opportunities

because Americans are not having

their liberty or their rest

and recreational activities.

"We expect liberty will resume

now that Pemberton has been

convicted," Cortez says.

Jennifer's mother,

Julita Laudes,

sits on her brown-floral

print couch.

Despite the conviction,

she is far from satisfied.

[Meredith] Other locals express

a mixture of sympathy

and rejection when it

comes to the presence

of transgender sex workers

in Olongapo.

A souvenir vendor on

Waterfront Road

says that he is indifferent

to the Pemberton verdict

and wishes only that full

liberty would resume,

so that ordinary people in

Olongapo can have income.

[Meredith] Down the street,

a female bystander

sitting on a nearby

park bench shouts back,

"Transgenders need to be

kicked out of Olongapo."

Another taxi driver replies,

"Their words hurt too much.

Those are our fellow Filipinos."

Roseanne is worried about

people identifying her

and finding out

she's a sex worker.

Her mother is not aware

she is doing sex work.

According to the young woman,

she thinks I'm just looking

for a handsome boyfriend

who'll take me to America.

As Roseanne continues

to roam the streets

of Olongapo at night,

she has to believe

that she will encounter

men like Jennifer's fiancé

and not a man like the kind

who ended Jennifer's life.

I think all the Filipinos

wanted to have that big change.

I think he's the

number one candidate

who's running for presidency.

I know he can

do what he promise

that substantial changes will

happen the next six months.

[Female Reporter] The headline

confirms it:

Rodrigo Duterte will be

the new president

of the Philippines.

[Male Reporter] He captured

domestic and international

attention with speeches

peppered with obscene jokes

about sex and rape

and for undiplomatic remarks

about some key players

in the country's politics

including Australia,

the United States and China.

[audience laughing and cheering]

America, prepare to

leave the Philippines.

Prepare for the

event to a repeal

for the abrogation of the

visiting of this country.

[intriguing xylophone music]

♪ ♪

On this day two years ago,

transgender woman Jennifer Laude

was found dead in a motel

room in Subic, Zambales.

Now U.S. Marine Lance Corporal

Joseph Scott Pemberton

was found guilty

of killing Laude

is detained in a

facility in Quezon City.

[Male Reporter] Behind this

fence is a detention facility

for Lance Corporal

Joseph Scott Pemberton.

No movement can be

detected in the facility.

Space between the

two cargo containers

converted into rooms is

covered with tarpaulin.

Guards from the

Bureau of Corrections

manning the facility

are nowhere in sight.

The Court of Appeal still has

to rule on Pemberton's appeal.

The Laude family continues

to seek justice for Jennifer.

The family would like to

put an end to this case also.

Because for as long

as there is an appeal,

the appeal prolongs their agony.

[intriguing music]

The U.S. Government's position

is they will pay if there's

finality to the case.

Finality meant Pemberton

should be allowed

to go back to the United States.

This was a very clear instance

where the U.S. Government

took advantage of poverty

in attempting to release

one of their Marines

from incarceration

arising from a

criminal conviction.

President Duterte is

the very first president

that allocated for an

independent foreign policy.

I stand solidly behind

him that the presence

of US troops in the Philippines

is a blatant violation

of our sovereignty.

It's a hold-over from

the Colonial Times

and should finally end.

I am a president

of a sovereign state

and we have long-ceased

to be a colony.

[soft introspective music]

[Meredith] New England trip:

hot summer day,

no one on the road.

Greek restaurant, regulars.

Are these people aware of who

Joseph Scott Pemberton is?

Plan for today: go to

Robin Street, home address.

It's at a curve in the road.

Simple-wooden fence,

very modest house.

Working-class family.

Greater New Bedford

Technical Vocational School,

far from the famous

schools of Boston.

Boston: Harvard or MIT?

I wonder what this high school

taught Pemberton

about LGBT people.

Cement grounds,

uniform green grass.

Had Pemberton ever had

a girlfriend before?

Fresh, unlike the

salty air of Olongapo.

Joseph Scott Pemberton

grew up close to the water

and dreamed of being

some place open.

Isn't that why so many

young men join the military?

Nancy, he did it.

He's guilty, that's it.

Let's think about forgiveness.

If he spends 30 years in jail,

he won't have any life

left when he comes back.

Do you happen to

live in New Bedford?

I'm doing a story about

Joseph Scott Pemberton.

I just wonder if you've

heard of the case.

I can see oil trails

that remind me

of oil slicks in Olongapo.

[soft introspective music]

The president is winding

up his trip to Asia

and the Philippines,

his last stop,

before returning home tomorrow.

He appeared to give

the country's leader

a pass on human rights.

President Trump grimaced through

the traditional Asia

summit handshake,

but did not shy

away from praising

controversial Philippine

President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte's accused of

ordering death squads

style killings of thousands

of Filipino drug dealers

and users without trial.

[Male Reporter] His troops have

killed more than 7,000 people

since Duterte came into power.

But he's a potential ally in

the region on North Korea.

The president's visit

sparking protests.

Riot police using water

cannons to disperse the crowds.

Mr. Trump winding

down his Asian tour

with a toast and a tribute.

[Duterte vocalizing

foreign language]

Duterte serenading the

US Commander-in-Chief

with the lyrics, "You are

the light in my world."

[crowd chanting] No VFA,

no fascist U.S.A.

No Trump, no VFA,

no fascist U.S.A.

No Trump, no VFA,

no fascist U.S.A.

[somber orchestral music]

♪ ♪

[soft instrumental music]

♪ ♪

[Meredith] I was just

thinking about

how important this spot has been

and how it was the

focus in so much media

and, you know, sort

of, Jennifer's death.

There's this weird surreal

way we just imagined

these past two years.

What does it actually mean?

[soft orchestral music]

♪ ♪

[Naomi] I always get

affected when I hear

of a trans person

being murdered.

A year ago, I also lost

a friend to violence.

She just become another

statistic.

She had more than

20 stab wounds.

She was unrecognizable.

There is the lack of justice

in many trans people's lives.

If members of our community

are killed every day,

then there is no

justice in the world.

[Virginia] If Pemberton

is acquitted,

oh my goodness, that would

really affect my whole belief

in this judicial,

or legal system.

For me it's really

more than Laude's case,

it's our sovereignty here.

It's our freedom here.

It's our right to

determine our own path

without intervention

of a foreign power.

[soft orchestral music]

[Meredith] My community

has been ravaged

by violence consistently

year after year.

Me continuing to do my work,

continuing to strive for

justice and acceptance

is somehow a way

to commemorate her.

[soft orchestral music]

["Sister Song" by

Perfume Genius]

Subtitles by explosiveskull

♪ ♪

♪ Drive on, drive on ♪

♪ My special one ♪

♪ Don't you stop 'til

you know you're gone ♪

♪ Your sister and me

have a set of keys ♪

♪ Don't you worry your

head 'bout a thing ♪

♪ Drive on, drive on ♪

♪ My special one ♪

♪ Don't you stop 'til

you know you're gone ♪

♪ Drive on, drive on ♪

♪ My special one ♪

♪ Don't you stop 'til

you know you're gone ♪

♪ Your sister and me will

keep your place clean ♪

♪ So it shines when

you finally come home ♪

♪ Drive on, drive on ♪

♪ My special one ♪

♪ Don't you stop 'til

you know you're gone ♪

[soft soothing music]

♪ ♪

Call Her Ganda (2018) - full transcript