Senator Loren Legarda urged the Department of Foreign...

Senator Loren Legarda urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to look into the cases of three female Filipino workers facing execution overseas, for offences committed in their host countries. Legarda identified the convicted Filipinas as Joana Francisco, condemned for drug smuggling in Guangzhou, China; Sarah Mematera, for murder, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Mary Jane Ramos, for murder in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. Legarda said the three women were among the 37 Filipinos abroad facing execution in seven different countries. "The agencies concerned should make sure these women are provided adequate legal representation. That is, if their cases can still be appealed. This is the least the government can do for them," Legarda said.