RP asks Taiwan to free Pinoy convict with hepatitis C

MANILA, Philippines- A Filipino worker who has been jailed in Taiwan for 20 months is being petitioned for parole and immediate repatriation after being diagnosed with hepatitis C.

In a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) managing director Antonio Basilio reported that they have appealed for the early release of Jorge Ferdinand Bondoc from a Taipei prison.

Bondoc entered Taiwan on a tourist visa and was later convicted for jewelry theft, MECO managing director Antonio Basilio said in his report to the DFA.

Bondoc was arrested with three other Filipino associates as members of a syndicate of jewel thieves by Chiayi County in Taiwan.

The four were found guilty and each were given a four-year prison term. Bondoc and the other Filipinos began serving their sentence in March 2007 and are supposed to complete their sentences in January 2011.

But Bondoc was diagnosed with hepatitis C last May, which caused cirrhosis of the liver.

"MECO officials visited Bondoc in April, and noting his complaints of a bloated stomach and indigestion, sought medical care for him with the Taipei Prison authorities," according to the DFA statement.

Because of Bondoc’s deteriorating health, the MECO sought his parole on humanitarian grounds last month.

"MECO may also assist Bondoc’s wife Wilma to come to Taiwan to visit her husband," Basilio said. - GMANews.tv

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