MANILA, Philippines—The government has appealed the death sentence of a Filipino English tutor in Taiwan convicted of killing and robbing her employer, according to Vice President Noli de Castro.

De Castro, presidential adviser on overseas Filpino workers, said that Cecilia Armia Alcaraz, also known as Nemencia Armia, was sentenced to die last month.

De Castro said that Armia, an English teacher, first arrived in Taiwan in 2001. She was charged with killing her Taiwanese employer -- who had been brokering for Taiwanese students to take the English language lesson under her -- on the night of September 12, 2007.

Antonio Basilio, managing director of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, told De Castro in the latter's radio program, “Para Sa Iyo, Bayan (For You, My Country),” last Saturday that Armia was sentenced to die by pistol.

He said that Armia was the woman's maiden name while Alcaraz was her married name.

Basilio said that during the trial of the case, Armia claimed she was framed and pointed to two Taiwanese as the killers. She, however, could not tell their names and whereabouts.

He said that Armia was pinned down on the basis of the main evidence -- her fingerprints and DNA materials lifted from the crime scene. Basilio likewise said that Armia was not able to provide physical evidence that two other Taiwanese nationals where physically present when the crime happened.

Armia failed a subsequent polygraph test, said Basilio. The MECO official assured the vice president that the death sentence was not yet final and that the government already submitted an appeal to a Taiwanese court.

“I'm confident na maililigtas natin si Armia. May dalawa na tayong abogado humahawak sa kaso (I’m confident that we will be able to save Armia. We already have two lawyers handling the case),” he said.

De Castro stressed that the government was exerting all efforts to save OFWs on the death row of various countries.

According to Basilio, there are about 100,000 OFWs in Taiwan, including illegals, who are mainly factory workers, domestic workers or caregivers.

Armia, a native of Liliw in Laguna, is a single mother of four.

Basilio said that the government had arranged the visit of Armia’s brother, and eventually her four children.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. earlier said that Armia’s case was still on appeal and the Taiwanese court would hear the case in the first week of November.

He said he instructed Philippine officials in different foreign posts to monitor on a weekly basis the status of all OFWs who have been languishing in jail and have pending death sentences.