Arroyo expected to seek pardon of more Pinoys on death in Mideast visit

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s side trip to the Middle East may not only secure more jobs for Filipino workers but also appeal for the lives of those facing the death row.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Bayani Mangibin told GMANews.TV on Tuesday that the President’s visit to other countries usually follows with a plea for the commutation or pardon of Filipinos in jails. President Arroyo also takes the opportunity to ask foreign leaders for the forgiveness of Filipino convicts whenever they visit the country.

Mangibin cited the recent Manila visit of Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah on Friday. The sultan spared from the gallows Edgar Puzon, a Filipino convicted in Brunei of killing a compatriot in 2003.

“Normally when she visits the Middle East she aims to strengthen the relationship between countries and also perhaps ask for that [commutation and pardon]," Mangibin said.

On Monday, she paid a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia, but no details of the visit were immediately available.

Saudi Arabia is host to more than a million Filipino workers and their dependents. Several Filipinos are also facing death sentences in the kingdom, three of whom were convicted of murdering and butchering three compatriots who were their rivals in illegal gambling operations in 2006.

Arroyo is on a two-day visit in the Kingdom of Bahrain, “as part of the government’s effort to further strengthen its economic and bilateral relations" with the Gulf country, Malacañang said in a statement.

Before going to the Middle East, Arroyo attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where she bared suggestions on how the international community could grapple with the global economic crisis.
On Tuesday, Arroyo is scheduled to meet Bahrain King Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the Gudaibiya Palace.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. recently told GMANews.TV that there are 37 active death penalty cases currently in different stages of judicial proceedings.

Conejos said most of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are jailed in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Brunei, China, Malaysia and the US.

At least two Filipino women are facing the death row in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while several other women are languishing in jail in China over drug smuggling charges.
But figures from OFW group, Migrante International, said 5,000 Filipinos all over the world are languishing in jail, some even facing the death row. - GMANews.TV