Death Penalty News

BACK IN 2010, overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in Indonesia. She was convicted of drug trafficking after being caught carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin in Yogyakarta. She was then given the death penalty despite pleading innocence – saying that she was only a victim of human trafficking.  Initially, she started working as an OFW to give her children a better life. As per her lawyer Agus Salim, she had gone to Dubai to work as a domestic helper, but returned to Manila before the end of her contract because she was allegedly almost raped.

MANILA – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) assured two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on death row in Brunei of the government’s continuing support. DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac visited OFWs Edgar Puzon and Cyrile Tagapan at the Maraburong Prison Facility 1 in Keriam, Tutong District, Brunei Darussalam last Wednesday.

Bryan Jefferson Lising dela Cruz and Hazel Ann Baguisa Morales face potential capital punishment in Japan, sparking concern from the Philippine government and international observers. Two Filipinos, Bryan Jefferson Lising dela Cruz and Hazel Ann Baguisa Morales, find themselves embroiled in a high-profile legal battle in Japan, facing possible capital punishment for the alleged murder of an elderly Japanese couple, Norihiro Takahashi, 55, and his wife Kimie, 52. 

The Filipina, whose supporters say is a victim of human trafficking, has been on death row in Indonesia for more than a decade. Jakarta, Indonesia – For more than a decade, Mary Jane Veloso has been held in a prison in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta awaiting execution after being found guilty of drug trafficking. This year, her family got to see her for the first time in five years.

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.

The Department of Migrant Workers has confirmed the case of Filipino who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia. According to JP Soriano's report on "24 Oras," the victim's family is reportedly asking for "blood money" worth 30 million Saudi riyals. "We're talking to the DFA about this particular case," DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac said. "Yes, we're aware of this case. We're talking, coordinating with DFA on this matter and we are reaching out to the family as well," he added.

MANILA, Philippines — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pardoned three convicted Filipinos – two of them on death row due to drug trafficking, Malacañang announced the other night. President Marcos had phoned and thanked UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday for granting his request to pardon the three Filipinos, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil said. In a statement, the PCO said it was Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. who first informed Marcos about the pardons late Thursday after receiving a message from UAE Ambassador to the Philippines Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzaabi.

MANILA, Philippines — Eleven of the 16 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Bahrain earlier granted royal pardon have been deported to the Philippines, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Thursday. In a statement, DOLE said the 16 Filipinos were among the 154 inmates pardoned by King Hamad bin lsa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain. “Those pardoned were convicted of drug peddling, murder, accessory to murder, attempted homicide, prostitution, embezzlement of funds, stealing, human trafficking, and involvement in fights,” DOLE said. The labor department said those who were pardoned have partially served their sentences ranging from less than one year imprisonment to the death penalty. While 11 of the OFWs granted royal pardon have already been deported to the Philippines, the deportation of four others is still being arranged. “The remaining OFW has been pardoned for the crime of drug peddling, but still faces a seven-year jail term for human traf...

President Rodrigo Duterte says his 'heart bleeds' for overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte demanded the death penalty for those behind the murder of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jeanelyn Villavende, who allegedly died in the hands of her employers. Duterte made the statement in a late-night press conference on Monday, March 9, saying he would go to Kuwait as his "heart bleeds" when talking about Filipino workers in the Middle East. "If they can follow it through in accordance with their laws...I will ask for the maximum [penalty]. I want their executioner to cut off the heads of those who are responsible for the death of the Filipina," Duterte said. Villavende's employers have since been detained and charged with murder. In a hearing of the House committee on overseas workers' affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Sarah Arriola said a hearing for Vi...

Ernie Tamonde, a religious singer, is back home in North Cotabato. He insists on his innocence The Iranian government had pardoned a Christian religious singer from Magpet, North Cotabato who was arrested in Tehran in 2010 over drug charges, a family member said Tuesday, September 17. Ernie Tamonde, who insists on his innocence, arrived in Barangay Noa in Magpet on Sunday, September 15, according to his sister, Emmie. She did not provide additional details. Emmie said her brother was initially sentenced to death and was sent to a prison in Mashhad in northeast Iran where he was to await his execution. “He was sentenced to death, then life sentence, then 20 years imprisonment. Before his sentence was over, he was given [a] pardon by the Iranian government,” Emmie said. Ernie, then 28, was flying out of Iran on January 12, 2010 and was about to continue his religious mission in Malaysia when an Iranian friend asked him to drop by Thailand to carry a package for him...

Clemency sought for young maid who claims she killed abusive employer in self-defense A Catholic bishop has called on the Saudi Arabian government "to be merciful" and grant clemency to a young Filipino woman on death row . Last week, the Saudi Court of Appeals upheld a death sentence handed down in 2017 against the unnamed Filipino woman convicted of killing her female employer. "We turn to God in prayers that He may move the [Saudi] government to be merciful," said Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga, head of the Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People. The prelate also appealed to the Philippine government to exhaust all means to save the woman and conduct a "thorough investigation" into how the woman arrived in Saudi Arabia. "Placement agencies should be made accountable for whatever happens to [Filipino workers] sent to other countries," said Bishop Santos. The Philippines' foreign ministry said it w...

Officials said her case could not be settled with “blood money” A Filipina domestic worker has been executed in Saudi Arabia after she was found guilty of murder, the Asian nation’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has said. The 39-year-old woman was sentenced to death after the Saudi Supreme Judicial Council ruled that the case could not be settled with “blood money” under Sharia law, the DFA statement said. The execution was carried out on January 29. “The department regrets that it was not able to save the life of the Filipina,” it said. No further details about the case were provided. Philippines’ ambassador to Saudi Arabia Adnan Alonto said the woman had been provided with assistance throughout her trial, including the provision of a lawyer and consular visits. Her family had also been informed about updates in the case. Saudi Arabia uses the death penalty for several offences including murder, drug-related crimes and terrorism. Earlier th...

Philippine legal procedure is horribly ill-equipped for 21st century transnational issues like human trafficking and modern slavery, the drug trade, terrorism, regional environmental degradation, money laundering, and the legal needs of the Filipino diaspora, all of which cross state borders The new year greeted the Philippine legal community with 2 controversial Court of Appeals decisions, in the cases of the Indonesian drug arrest and pending execution Mary Jane Veloso, and the murder of Doc Gerry Ortega. Both these decisions ironically revolve around the important concept of due process, the legal virtue all but happily ignored when it came to the casualties of the present drug war. Yet the controversy we tackle now showcases the other unjust extreme: a myopic view that, just as happily, favors technicality over the substantive ends of the judicial process, lip service convenience over the obligations of professional thoroughness. In both the drug war deaths and these...

Duterte meets King Salman Bin Abdulazziz, April 12 2017 MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella has clarified that during the bilateral meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia, the issue on Filipinos on death rows was not discussed. Based on data from the Department of Foreign Affairs, about 31 Filipinos have been sentenced with the capital punishment. Reports on the cases of Filipinos on death row have not reached the King yet. President Duterte had a plane prepared for Filipinos who will be sent home to the Philippines because they do not have the necessary documents. “The process has not yet reached the level of the King. In this case, there is no place for us to ask for clemency at this stage so let us wait for the process regarding death row issues. However regarding amnesty, he did make mention that he’s planning to bring home those would take advantage of the amnesty program regar...

Rodrigo Duterte 10 Filipinos are now in death row in various jails here after they had been convicted of various major offenses, according to figures released by the Philippine Embassy. The 7 men and the 3 women on death row, who were convicted of crimes punishable with death penalty here, are among a total of 31 Filipinos criminally charged in Saudi Arabia for allegedly committing such serious crimes as murder. The Philippine Embassy said the 10 Filipinos failed to settle private rights or blood-money payments but there has been no immediate information if their execution would be carried out anytime soon or if the appeal has been going on. 8 of the 31 accused of committing crimes punishable by death are currently facing trial by courts here that were notorious for handing down the guilty verdict not only to foreigners but on Arabs as well. It is not immediately known if President Rodrigo Duterte, who will be meeting with Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte MANILA- President Rodrigo Duterte is poised to seek deals that would guarantee better working conditions for overseas Filipino workers when he visits the Middle East this Holy Week, an analyst said Sunday. University of the Philippines Political Science Assoc. Prof. Herman Kraft said he thinks Duterte would not question death penalty laws of countries in the Middle East given that he is an advocate of the policy himself. “He is actually willing to respect the laws that they actually have and if that means we’re talking about death penalty, this is something that he is not going to question,” Kraft said in a phone interview on ANC’s “Dateline Philippines.” Duterte will fly to 3 Middle Eastern countries in state visits to meet with the countries' leaders and the overseas Filipino workers there. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Hjayceelyn Quintana said the President will visit Saudi Arabia from April 10 to 12, Bahrain from...