More than 100 Pinoys face death penalty abroad — DFA

More than 100 Filipinos, mostly in the Middle East and China, are facing death for committing various crimes, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said.

But the DFA stressed these concern the death penalty, not death row cases.

“The latter implies that final judgment of conviction has already been reached and the Filipinos concerned are simply awaiting execution,” a department statement said.

The cases of the Filipinos involve several offenses such as rape, drug smuggling and homicide and are pending

in China, Malaysia, Kuwait, Brunei, United States and Saudi Arabia. The cases are in different stages, but in the event of conviction the maximum penalty is death.

Out of 102, 16 are Filipinos in the Middle East who are charged with murder/homicide (including rape/robbery with murder).

Seventy-four involve drug-related cases, most of which are in China, while three are non-drug related cases.

The DFA assured that it is extending full legal and other assistance to the Filipinos involved in death penalty cases.

“All the accused Filipino workers are being assisted by legal counsel and regular updates on the status of their cases are submitted by the concerned embassies or consulates general to the DFA,” it said.

The DFA added the Philippine government has regularly interceded, through the secretary of Foreign Affairs and the President, on behalf of numerous OFWs with death penalty cases. The DFA will recommend further presidential intercessions as the need arises.

Since January 2006, through the efforts of the DFA, 35 impositions of death penalty have been commuted to life imprisonment. Of these, 15 were already repatriated to the Philippines while 20 are currently serving commuted sentences.

In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, there is possibility of commutation of death sentence when a tanazul or forgiveness from the family of the victim is given upon the payment of diyah or blood money or when a prisoner is granted clemency by the Saudi King or Emir of Kuwait upon high-level intercessions led by the President.

Of the 16 pending death penalty cases in the Middle East, the DFA has already obtained four signed tanazuls and currently negotiating or commencing negotiations for 10 OFWs.

Meanwhile, the six cases pending in China without reprieve are on appeal with the Chinese Supreme Court.

The non-critical death penalty cases in China with reprieve, on the other hand, allow a two-year suspension of sentence and possible commutation to life imprisonment for good behavior.

The DFA has constantly warned Filipinos from becoming drug couriers given the high penalties imposable on these offenses in China and other places. –Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune