DFA: PHL closer to reaching prisoner transfer agreement with Denmark

The Philippines is another step closer to securing a prisoner transfer agreement with Denmark, after representatives from both countries signed the Agreed Minutes on the negotiations at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “The Philippine and Danish sides have agreed to continue with their internal consultations towards the eventual conclusion and signing of the TSPA (Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons)," the DFA said in a news release. Danish Ambassador to the Philippines Svend Waever and Justice department Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras III led the signing on Tuesday. Transfer agreement A TSPA gives individuals tried and convicted abroad a chance to be reintegrated in their home country, where they will serve the rest of their sentences. Aside from bringing them closer to their families and friends, sentenced persons will also be spared from language barriers and cultural differences. The agreement will also assist them in joining their society again after serving their time in prison. The Philippines has bilateral TSPAs with Spain, Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada, and Cuba. The country is also working on joining the Stratsbourg Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, a multilateral framework developed by the Council of Europe, which also aims to reintegrate foreign prisoners in their own societies. The Convention has 64 contracting states, including Denmark, which signed in 1987. - with Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/VVP, GMA News