Palace: 3 Pinoys' deaths in China a reminder of drug trade's effects on families

Malacañang on Wednesday sympathized with the families of the three convicted drug traffickers executed in China, saying their deaths should serve as a reminder of the effects of the drug trade on Filipino families. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also stressed the efforts made by the Philippine government to stop the executions of Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32; Ramon Credo, 42; and Elizabeth Batain, 38. "Our government has taken every available opportunity to appeal... but in the end, the sentence was imposed," Valte said. "The nation sympathized with the families of the condemned, sharing their sense of loss," she added. Valte said Filipino workers should never become "pawns, whether at home or abroad," of drug pushers. [See related: 'Kindness' makes Pinays vulnerable to drug rings] "Their deaths are a vivid lesson in the tragic toll the drug trade takes on entire families," Valte said. The Palace vowed to exert further measures to ensure that the fate of the three executed Filipino will not befall other OFWs. "We [should] ensure that the chain of victimization by drug pushers [who] entrap and destroy lives in pursuit of their trade, will be broken," she added. According to her, "our response must be relentless, with government and the citizenry working together to ensure vigilance and mutual support." The three Filipinos were executed by lethal injection. They were originally scheduled for execution last Feb. 20 and 21, but the Chinese government granted a reprieve after an appeal from the Aquino administration. [See related: After Vecina’s freedom, what about other Filipinos in jails abroad?] The three had been convicted of smuggling illegal drugs into China in 2008. — LBG, GMA News