Jason Ivler

IVLER, Jason (1981/2?) – Born to a Jewish-American father, Robert Ivler (deceased), and a Filipino convert to Judaism, Marlene Aguilar, sister of renowned Filipino folk singer Freddie Aguilar.

In 2005, Jason Ivler released a rap album titled "In the Philippines..." under the pseudonym "Jsin." He later graduated from Hawaii Pacific University, Oahu, with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2006.  

In 2007, he enlisted in the United States Army. After completing basic training, infantry school, airborne school, and the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) at Fort Benning, GA, he was assigned to the 1st Ranger Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield (HAAF) in Savannah, GA.  

In 2008, he was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

Criminal Case

In 2009, the Philippine government charged Jason Ivler with murder. The victim, Renato Ebarle Jr., was the son of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s chief of staff, Renato Ebarle Sr.  

According to Philippine law, murder is defined as the premeditated killing of one person by another. However, police investigators, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), prosecutors, and all major media outlets reported that the motive for the killing was road rage. Road rage is widely recognized as an emotional response, which by definition cannot be premeditated. This raises questions about the decision to elevate Ivler’s charge from homicide (which is equivalent to second-degree murder or manslaughter in the United States) to murder. The circumstances behind this legal elevation remain speculative, leading to concerns about the influence of power, money, and connections in the case.  

In 2010, during his arrest, Jason Ivler exchanged gunfire with NBI agents in the Philippines. Despite the prosecution’s failure to prove premeditation, he was convicted of murder in 2015 and sentenced to 40 years without eligibility for parole.

_{2010 Arraignment Quezon City RTC}

In 2017, despite the prosecution’s assertion that road rage was the motive and the lack of evidence for premeditation, the Court of Appeals upheld Ivler’s conviction. Seeking a fair ruling, Ivler escalated his case to the Supreme Court, citing numerous similar cases where charges were reduced, leading to lighter sentences. However, his appeal was denied. Notably, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the time was an appointee of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.  

In 2019, the Supreme Court of the Philippines affirmed the Court of Appeals’ decision. In an unusual move, the Court provided no arguments, reasoning, or justification to counter the facts and arguments presented in Ivler’s petition. Typically, prisoners receiving an unfavorable Supreme Court ruling are given detailed explanations for the decision. With the appeals process exhausted, there is no further legal recourse to overturn the conviction.  

Thus, a road rage incident ultimately resulted in a conviction for premeditated murder. Jason Ivler is currently serving his sentence at the Maximum Security Camp, New Bilibid Prison, Muntinlupa City.