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Mother of Pinoy drug mule on China's death row still hopeful
The mother of one of the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) convicted for smuggling drugs into China hasn't given up hope that something can still be done so that her daughter won't be executed in the foreign country. "Habang nandun pa siya sa kulungan, hindi pa siya dumating sa punto na ganun... gagawin namin ang lahat (As long as she's still there, until we haven't reached the point of execution, we wil do everything we can to stop it)," Edith Ordinario told GMA News. Ordinario is the mother of Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32, who claimed that she was not aware the bag that her agency asked her to bring to China in 2008 contained illegal drugs. She was convicted for smuggling 4,110 grams of heroin on Dec. 24, 2008 into Xiamen. The two other OFWs on China's death row are:
Last month, Vice President Jejomar Binay flew to China in a last-ditch effort to appeal to the Chinese government to commute the death sentence of the three Filipinos. But he only succeeded in having the scheduled execution deferred to a still undisclosed date. On Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao maintained that the verdict was final. "The verdict is the final verdict, the penalty will be carried out sooner or later... everything will be done in accordance with the law in China," he said during a press conference. In a separate interview, Binay said had expected this from China because it never committed to commute the sentences of the OFWs. He agreed, however, with Ordinario about not giving up. "Habang may buhay, may pag-asa (As long we live, there is hope)," he said. Binay said he will meet with President Benigno Aquino III to talk about the matter. The Philippine Embassy in Beijing has likewise informed Binay that their government has agreed that he meet with their Supreme Court Chief Justice. "Tingnan muna natin yung official communication, pangalawa, ang pagkasabi saken eh wala namang sinabi na date of execution (Let's check first the official communication. Secondly, I know that they haven't set a date for the execution yet)," he said. But if worst comes to worst, Ordinario said she hopes that she would at least be able to see her daughter. "Hanggang mamatay na ako di ko na makikita si Sally. Papatayin na siya, di ko na makikita... kaya kung ano lang sana madalaw ko man lang siya (Until I die I won't be able to see Sally because she will be executed. So I hope I would at least be able to visit her)," she said. On the other hand, Credo's wife Marie said she is focused on the future of their three-year-old daughter. "Yung mga kinakatakot ko para sa anak ko nangyayari. Sisikapin ko na maitaguyod ko mag-isa yung bata (I'm afraid for my daughter. But I will work hard to raise her on my own)," she said in a separate interview. — RSJ, GMA News
