MANILA, Philippines — Days before the scheduled execution of a convicted Filipino drug mule in China, his family sought the nation’s prayers but also requested privacy for the sake of their ailing mother.
The Ople Center, a migrant welfare advocacy group, conveyed the family’s appeal on Monday, following a meeting with them last week at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The DFA, in coordination with the Office of the Vice President, has been assisting the family in their travel to Guangxi province, where the execution will take place, since it was announced last week that the execution of the Filipino drug trafficker will push through on December 8.
According to the center’s president, Susan Ople, the sisters of the convicted Filipino were deeply thankful to the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines and to those who were offering continued prayers for their brother.
The Church hierarchy over the weekend instructed all the dioceses across the country to offer Sunday’s Masses for the intention of the 35-year-old Filipino convict, who was caught trying to bring 1.5 kilos of heroin into China.
The bishops particularly prayed for divine intervention that the Chinese government would grant the Aquino administration’s request for commutation.
In their meeting with Ople, the sisters also sought for understanding as to why they opted not to grant media interviews.
“Iparating niyo na lang po sa kanila na tulungan ang aming pamilya sa pagdarasal at hinihingi pa rin po namin ang privacy para po sa aming nanay. (Please convey our request for prayers and our request for privacy in our mother’s behalf),” one of the sisters told Ople.
Ople said the family was satisfied with the help they were getting from the DFA and the Office of the Vice President, particularly in coordinating arrangements for their trip to China and continually appealing the court’s decision.
“In this particular case, the DFA was, from the start, very much involved in providing the family with information and guidance,” said Ople.
But in the same vein, the center strongly urged the Philippine government to declare an “all-out” war against international drug rings that have been recruiting Filipinos to act as drug mules.
“Whatever happened to efforts to bring the recruiters of Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Elizabeth Betain and Ramon Credo behind bars? Let’s hope that our law enforcers particularly the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) would be able to identify and prosecute the recruiter of our compatriot on China’s death row,” stated the center.
Villanueva and Credo were executed by lethal injection early this year in Xiamen while Betain was put to death in Shenzhen. The three were separately arrested in 2008 carrying packages containing at least four kilograms of heroin and were convicted the following year.
Based on DFA records, there are about 205 drug trafficking cases involving Filipinos in China, including 14 cases pending in court.
At least 71 of these cases bear the death penalty but with a two-year reprieve that could pave the way for a commutation based on good behavior, according to the Ople Center.
The center also called for a close monitoring of 105 death row cases for various crimes involving Filipinos worldwide, with 37 considered “in critical stage” by the DFA.
“Several of these cases particularly of Filipinos on death row in Saudi Arabia require constant monitoring and legal assistance as well as closer coordination with the families concerned,” said the center.