Chinese Embassy: Court sustains death sentence on 3 Pinoys

The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) of the People’s Republic of China has sustained the death sentence on three Filipino suspected drug traffickers after a judicial review, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said. In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the embassy said, "The death sentence on the three Filipino drug traffickers is the final verdict by the Chinese judicial authorities in accordance with law. As criminals of death penalty, their legitimate rights and interests have been protected in accordance with law." The embassy said, "The Chinese side has informed the Philippine side of the SPC’s decision through diplomatic channels." "The Chinese law prescribes that any person, no matter that he or she is a Chinese citizen or a foreigner, who commits crime shall be brought to justice in strict accordance with law. No one is privileged to transcend law," the embassy said. The embassy said drug-related crimes are "bitterly detested by the international community, China and the Philippines included." "China follows strict judicial procedures in applying death penalty. A death sentence should be meted after two-tier trial and subject to review and approval by the SPC," the embassy explained. Should the relatives want to visit the three Filipinos on death row, China is ready to assist them, the embassy said. Observe Chinese laws In its statement, the embassy expressed hope that "all foreign nationals in China observe the Chinese laws and refrain from engaging in drug trafficking or other drug-related crimes. Otherwise, they would be punished by the Chinese judicial authorities in accordance with law." "The Chinese side attaches great importance to China-Philippines friendly relationship. Since our two countries established diplomatic ties 36 years ago, China-Philippines relations enjoyed smooth development and continuously deepened cooperation in various fields," the embassy said. "The Chinese side stands ready to work with the Philippine side to advance China-Philippines strategic cooperation into greater depth. The two sides have reached broad-based consensus and conducted sound cooperation on combating drug-related crimes," the embassy added. Binay as emissary Meanwhile, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on Wednesday vowed to continue appealing to the Chinese government for the commutation of the death sentence against three Filipinos for drug trafficking. As of posting time, the President is in a meeting with Vice President Jejomar Binay whom he is eyeing to send as emissary to China “to stress how important it is for us to have the death penalty be commuted to life imprisonment as we are doing here." The three Filipinos are expected to be executed next week. “We are we making a last ditch effort, hindi tayo tumitigil," Aquino told reporters after presiding over a command conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. The President pointed out that several Chinese nationals involved in drug related cases have been arrested in the Philippines but “we don’t execute any, because we have done away with the death penalty." “We’d like to see reciprocity sana," Aquino said. He said he had written a letter to the Chinese leaders as early as August. Last Friday, the Philippine government tried to set up a phone conversation with Chinese President Hu Jintao to appeal for the commutation but the Chinese government has yet to accept the call. “I was informed Friday, they (DFA) were already trying to set up (a call for) Saturday but as of now hindi pa rin sila nag-signify ng willingness to accept the phone call," the President said. He admitted that illegal drugs is a major concern in China. “(A Chinese ambassador told me that) they are very, very strict when it comes to drug laws because it’s a major concern of theirs. Iyung sa shabu, iyung ephedrine is a natural, comes from a plant that grows primarily in China. Mas malaki ang problema nila doon, they have a bigger populace, and they have syempre the history of opium from before," Mr Aquino said. “But we think our request is very, very reasonable. It is time also for them to demonstrate their pronounced statements of improved and closer bilateral ties. This will be a test," the President said. Family attempts to stall execution In what they said was a last ditch effort, the family of one of the three overseas Filipino workers convicted of drug trafficking in China is trying to save her from being executed on Monday next week. The brother and the mother of one of the Filipina convict went to the Department of Justice on Wednesday to provide information on the head of the drug syndicate that sent her to China, where she was arrested and later convicted. Ira Pozon, a representative from Vice President Jejomar Binay's Office, said that under Chinese law, the death penalty may be lifted if the head of the drug syndicate is presented. "Under chinese law, one way which you can get a final reprieve from a death penalty sentence is if you can present an actual kingpin that brought you there to commit that crime," Pozon, head of the vice presidential special concerns unit, told reporters. The DFA has not named the convicted Filipinos, but it has described them as: