VP Binay heads for China to plead for 3 Filipinos’ lives

(Updated 11:36 a.m.) Vice President Jejomar Binay will fly to China on Thursday in a last-ditch try to appeal to the Chinese government to commute the death sentence on three Filipinos convicted for drug trafficking. In a report on QTV's "News on Q," Binay said he has been asked by President Benigno Aquino III to make the appeal on behalf of the Philippine government, in the hope that the three convicts are given two-year reprieves and their death sentences eventually reduced to just life imprisonment based on Chinese law. Binay also visited the families of the three Filipinos, also at Aquino’s behest, but he was only able to talk with the relatives of Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, one of the two women sentenced to death. In a radio interview Thursday, Binay's spokesperson Joey Salgado said the Vice President would be carrying a letter signed by Aquino appealing to Chinese authorities to defer the execution of the three, and commute their sentences to life imprisonment. "Dadalhin niya [VP Bianay] ang sulat na pinirmahan ng Pangulong Aquino na humihingi na ipagpaliban ang execution at ang death penalty i-commute sa life sentence," Salgado said in an interview on dzXL radio. [See: Binay to bring PNoy letter to China in bid to save 3 Pinoys]
In the television report, Binay said the President wanted to know how the families are coping with the situation, and asked him to assure them that the government is doing what it can to save the three. “Nababagabag rin ho si Pangulo rito (The President is also quite worried about this)," Binay said in the GMA newscast. He noted that Aquino had already written the Chinese government to appeal the case of the three Filipinos, and that he (Aquino) likewise personally mentioned it to Chinese President Hu Jintao when they met during last year’s ASEAN conference. “Hindi ho nagkulang ang pamahalaan na tulungan sila sa kanilang depensa, sa pakikipag-usap [The government did not fall short in helping them with their defense and with negotiating with the government]," Binay added. Last Friday, the Philippine government tried to set up a phone conversation with Chinese President Hu Jintao to appeal for the commutation of the death sentence, but the Chinese government has yet to accept the call. (See: Chinese Embassy: Court sustains death sentence on 3 Pinoys) Earlier on Wednesday, Villanueva’s mother and brother went to Binay’s office to reinterate that Villanueva was framed, and that she was not aware that the bag, which she claimed her agency asked her to bring to China in 2008, contained illegal drugs. Villanueva, 32, was convicted for smuggling 4,110 grams of heroin on December 24, 2008 into Xiamen. The two other Filipinos facing the death penalty are:

• Ramon Credo, 42, who was convicted for smuggling 4,113 grams of heroin on December 28, 2008, also in Xiamen; and
• Elizabeth Batain, 38, who was convicted for smuggling 6,800 grams of heroin on May 24, 2008, in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen and Xiamen are two of the most important entry points for Filipinos traveling from Manila to destinations in mainland China. China: 'We follow strict judicial process' Earlier also, the Chinese Embassy in Manila reiterated that the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) of China has sustained the death sentence on the three Filipinos after a thorough judicial review. (See: Chinese Embassy: Court sustains death sentence on 3 Pinoys) In a press statement, 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, their legitimate rights and interests have been protected in accordance with law." "China follows strict judicial procedures in applying the death penalty," it added, and went on to explain the lengthy process which is supposed to ensure that all the legal rights of the accused are respected. The Embassy statement reassured the convicts’ relatives that China is ready to assist them should they want to visit the three. For its part, the DFA said that while it will do whatever is still possible to save the lives of the three Filipinos, their death sentences should likewise serve as a wake-up call for overseas-bound Filipinos against becoming unwitting drug couriers. (See: PHL govt makes last-ditch effort to save 3 Pinoys on death row in China) DFA: 208 Pinoy drug cases in China
DFA spokesperson Ed Malaya reminded Filipinos abroad not to agree to carrying other people’s baggage, especially if they had just met the person at the airport or online. “Our people must take full responsibility for their actions by being on guard," he said. If the executions push through, Malaya said this will be the first time that Filipinos are executed in China for drug-related offenses. According to the DFA, there are 208 drug-related cases in China at present. Around 36 of the jailed Filipinos were meted life sentences while 72 others were given fixed-term imprisonment. About 19 cases are still pending. Malaya noted that 72 Filipinos involved in earlier drug-related cases have been given two-year reprieves. According to China’s laws, if the convict shows good behavior within the two-year period, the sentence is automatically committed to life imprisonment.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV/HS/RSJ, GMA News