PHILIPPINES: 27 OTHER OFWS IN DEATH-PENALTY CASES

the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said five overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are presently on death row, with another 22 charged in cases where the punishment is death. “There are 27 active death penalty cases. This office is monitoring these cases pending in court. Six cases are in prosecution stage,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for migrant workers Esteban Conejos said. Of the 27 cases, Conejos said eight cases involve OFWs in Saudi Arabia who were charged with murder. The death conviction of two of three Filipinos found guilty of murder in that country is already final and executory. “Two are in Riyadh and the conviction is final and executory. The third one is in Jeddah,” Conejos said. The names of the three Filipinos were not disclosed. He said that the two Filipino women in Riyadh were found guilty of murder with robbery and are also awaiting execution. Their conviction was sustained in the Court of Appeals and affirmed in the Supreme Judicial Council. There are also four OFWs in Kuwait facing murder charges, and another 10 are charged in Malaysia for offenses ranging from drug trafficking, rape, homicide and robbery with homicide. The DFA also recorded one death penalty case in Iran, US and Brunei, and two in China.