VP Binay : Blood money issue being studied

Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay reassured Filipinos in Saudi Arabia that a technical group is reviewing the issue of paying blood money to save distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Arab News reported on Friday that Binay, who is also presidential adviser for OFWs, gave the reassurance at a meeting with Filipinos on Wednesday night. Binay was in Saudi Arabia to represent President Benigno Aquino III in attending the funeral of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Azziz al Saudi. Also present at the meeting were Philippine Ambassador Ezzedin Tago and Labor Attache Albert Valenciano, and OFW groups such as OFW Congress, Filipino dentists' association in the Kingdom. Binay cited the case of an OFW whose family sought help in raising blood money to pay the kin of a Saudi man he accidentally killed in 2000. After 10 years of negotiations, the family finally agreed to blood money but asked for "quite a big amount," Binay said. Calamity loans Meanwhile, Binay informed the OFWs with families affected by recent cyclones in the Philippines that they can apply for loans with Pag-IBIG Fund, where he is the board chairman. Binay encouraged OFWs to be Pag-IBIG members, saying they could apply for loans equivalent to as much as 70 to 80 percent of what they have saved. He noted that Pag-IBIG gave P47 million to affected Filipinos in Calumpit in Bulacan, as calamity loans. - VVP, GMA News