Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) — The Philippine government intends to discuss with Malaysia later this year the issue of dozens of Filipinos facing the death penalty there, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday.
During the last day of his state visit to Malaysia, Marcos told reporters that he expects the issue to be taken up during the two countries' Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in October.
"The joint commission mechanism is something that we use to raise any issues that come up between the Philippines and Malaysia, and it is one of them," the president noted.
"So, it was my suggestion to Prime Minister (Anwar) Ibrahim upon the briefing of the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) that we can take up the repatriation of Filipinos in the next convening of the joint commission," he added
Asked if his administration hopes to repatriate the Filipinos on death row so they can serve their sentence in the Philippines, Marcos said: "Iba-iba [It's a case-to-case basis]. But yes, that's essentially it."
However, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo later clarified that the incarcerated Filipinos wouldn't necessarily be repatriated, and that what is merely planned for now is that the issue will be tackled in October.
Of 83 Filipinos facing the death penalty overseas, 56 are in the neighboring country, according to the DFA.
The department said 30 were convicted of murder, 18 of drug trafficking, while eight waged a war against the Malaysian king during the 2013 Lahad Datu siege.
Source:
CNN, Staff, July 27, 2023
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