OFW sentenced to face firing squad in Taiwan

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino worker has been sentenced to die by firing squad in Taiwan for murder and robbery, a migrant workers’ group said on Thursday. Migrante International identified the worker as Nemencia P. Armia, who was accused of robbing and killing a Taiwan national on the night of Sept. 12, 2007. Armia claimed she was framed and pointed to two Taiwanese as the real killers, Migrante said in a press statement. Migrante, together with Armia’s relatives, said they were calling on the Arroyo government to act on the matter before it's too late. The office of Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Claro Cristobal said they have not received any information about Armia’s fate so far. Migrante and Armia’s relatives were scheduled to make a formal appeal for help during a press conference at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. A day after a worker from Zamboanga Sibugay was executed in Saudi Arabia for murder, Migrante urged the government to look into the case of three overseas Filipino workers (OFW) for their involvement in the infamous Jeddah “chop-chop" killings. The beheading victim, identified as Jenifer Bidoya, a.k.a. Venancio Ladion, was convicted for the murder of a Saudi national in the holy city of Makkar (Mecca) in 2005. Migrante has chided the government for not doing enough and for acting a little too late on the case of Bidoya, who was beheaded last Tuesday. The DFA has said it is actively monitoring 40 death penalty cases involving Filipinos in at least five countries. D’Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV