Concerned for the welfare of Filipinos abroad, the government is hoping to secure the commutation of sentence of 88 Filipinos facing death penalty in various countries.
Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. assured that the government continues to provide assistance to the Filipinos on death row abroad such as legal aid to appeal their cases.
As of March 2015, Coloma said there are 34 Filipinos on death row in Malaysia, 28 in Saudi Arabia, 21 in China, two in the United States, one in Indonesia, one in Kuwait, and one in Thailand. Around half of the Filipinos sentenced to death were reportedly convicted of drug-related offenses.
“Ayon po sa DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs], lahat ng mga death-row cases ay kasalukuyang on appeal [According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, all the death row cases are presently under appeal],” he added.
He said the DFA and the rest of the country’s foreign posts have been directed to provide Assistance to Nationals program, including the providing legal assistance as well as making appeals through diplomatic channels.
Manila Bulletin
