MANILA, Philippines - The family of a 35-year-old Filipino sentenced to death in China for drug trafficking is now appealing to the Aquino government to do everything it can to save his life.
After watching yesterday's news about the executions of the 3 Filipinos--Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Ramon Credo, Elizabeth Batain--in China, the family is now worried about their loved one, whose drug trafficking case is pending review before China's Supreme People's Court.
The Filipino drug courier is jailed in Guangzhou. He was arrested there in October 2008 for bringing in 1.495 kilos of heroin hidden in his luggage.
“Sana tama na yung tatlong nabitay. Sana naman magawan ng paraan ang nag-iisang ito,” said Anna (not her real name), sister of the Filipino convict.
The family requested anonymity for the sake of their mother, who just suffered a stroke.
“Alam namin na kasalan talaga yun, kaya lang sana mas mababa yung sintensya. Sana huwag matulad doon sa tatlong nauna. Gusto pa namin makita at makasama kapatid namin,” said Anna. She said her brother has no criminal record in the Philippines. She stressed that her brother was a victim of a drug syndicate.
DFA: Only 1 Pinoy left on death row
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), there were originally 6 death penalty convictions, without reprieves, which reached the Supreme People's Court of China in Beijing.
Three convictions, Ordinario-Villanueva’s, Credo’s, and Batain’s, were eventually affirmed by the high court.
Two of the 6 convictions were lowered by the Supreme People’s Court of China from death penalty (without reprieve) to death penalty with 2-year reprieve, the DFA said. "The equivalent of death penalty with two-year reprieve in Philippine law is automatic commutation to life imprisonment, provided the individuals concerned conduct themselves with good behavior within the two-year period," the DFA explained.
Only the drug trafficking case of Anna's brother is pending before China's highest court.
"The Philippine Consulate concerned has been fully assisting the Filipino involved in this case. High-level representations for clemency on his behalf have also been made by Philippine officials at various levels and on numerous occasions," the DFA said.
The DFA said 73 Filipinos facing drug trafficking charges in China have been saved from death row when they were meted death penalties with 2-year reprieves (equivalent to life imprisonment). - Report from Niña Corpuz, ABS-CBN News
