PHL Embassy in China not giving up on saving 3 Pinoys from execution

(Updated 5:54 p.m.) Philippine officials in China on Monday vowed not to give up efforts to save three Filipinos from death row even after their execution was stayed last weekend. Embassy Consul Noel Novicio said they still make daily representations with Chinese officials, noting that there is no information on whether the execution will still take place. “Sa susunod na araw patuloy ang ating pakikipagusap sa China sa bagay na ito ... Gagawin natin ang lahat na makakaya sa diplomatic channel para ituloy ang representation na ginagawa ng ating gobyerno," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. (In the next few days we will continue talking with Chinese officials on the matter. We will exhaust all means via diplomatic channels to make representations). Last weekend, the Chinese government agreed to stay the execution of three Filipinos convicted for drug trafficking, after the last-ditch efforts by a Philippine delegation led by Vice President Jejomar Binay. However, it was not immediately clear if the stay in the execution would lead to a commutation of the Filipinos’ sentences, or if they would still be executed at a later date. “Ayaw natin maging negative ang interpretation. Napakalinaw ng sinabi nila na postponed ang execution because of representation made by the Philippine government. Ang basa natin diyan napakagandang balita," Novicio said. (We do not want to have any negative interpretation of what happened. As far as we know, the stay in the execution is a positive development.) He said for now, he said they will treat the development as a “gift from a friend." Miriam's take At the Senate, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said it was likely that the People's Republic of China is bound to ask for something in the event Beijing decides to the death sentences of three overseas Filipino workers. "You cannot expect that China will simply suspend the execution of the Filipinos just because you said so and you said it very nicely and very sweetly. Hihingi yan ng kapalit sigurado. (It will definitely ask for something in return)," Santiago told reporters on Monday afternoon. Santiago said that if China does agree to commute their sentences, it might ask the Philippines to either terminate the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) or to stop talking about the country's claim to the Spratly Islands in return. The senator explained that China might want to dissolve the VFA so that it can stage its own joint military exercises with Philippines. She likewise said that China might want the Philippines to state that it is "amenable" to the proposal by China that the question of sovereignity over the Spratly Islands be set aside for a while so that both countries may benefit from the island's resources.. "You cannot just say please in diplomatic relations or in political affairs. You have to show that there is some indication of your willingness to go halfway," she said. Militants stage picket in Mendiola Meanwhile, in Manila, militants picketed Mendiola Bridge near Malacañang to call government’s attention to the plight of other Filipinos in death row in other countries. A report by dzBB’s Carlo Mateo said some of the protesters included relatives of the doomed overseas Filipno workers who brought photos of their loved ones. – with Kimberly Jane Tan/VVP/RSJ, GMA News