Pinay convict executed in Kuwait –DFA

Jakatia Pawa, the Filipina who was sentenced to death in Kuwait for murder, was executed Wednesday, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
"It is with sadness that we announce the execution of Jakatia Pawa," DFA spokesman Charles Jose said at a press conference. "We extend our sincere condolences to the family."
Jose said Pawa, a mother of two, was executed at 10:19 a.m (3:19 p.m. in Manila). It was the first time a Filipino was executed in Kuwait in recent years.
Pawa, 42, was sentenced to death by the Kuwait's Court of Cassation in 2010 for the killing of her employer's 22-year-old daughter in 2007.
A mother of two children aged 18 and 16 and a native of Zamboanga del Norte, Pawa earned a bachelor's degree in banking and finance from the Zamboanga Arturo Eustaquio Colleges in Zamboanga City, now Universidad de Zamboanga.
During court hearings, Pawa, who started working in Kuwait in 2002, denied killing her employer's daughter, saying the victim's family members had stronger motives to kill her because of an alleged illicit love affair with a male neighbor. 
Appeals have been "unrelenting"
Jose said the Philippine government since the time of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been "unrelenting" in appealing to the victim's family to grant a tanazul or affidavit of forgiveness in exchange for blood money "but to no avail."
"We were hoping the family will relent in the payment of blood money but at the last minute they did not accept,” Jose said, adding the Philippine government also pursued "different channels" to save Pawa.
Under Shariah Law, blood money or compensation is given to the family of murder victims in exchange for their forgiveness. It allows those facing the death penalty to escape capital punishment.
In exchange for blood money, the victim’s family, should they accept it, will execute an affidavit of forgiveness.
Jose there are 88 Filipinos on death row worldwide.
Legal process
Pawa, Jose said, was represented by a lawyer hired by the Philippine government in all stages of court proceedings.
"She went through the legal process and was given another chance to present her evidence, but we were unable to unfortunately prove her innocence," Jose said.
He said Pawa’s family was able to visit her in jail three times and the most recent was in October 2016.
Pawa was also able to inform her family of her execution by phone on Tuesday.
Jose said Islamic rules will be followed for Pawa’s burial. "She will be buried in Kuwait," he said.
Around 10 million Filipino workers — mostly housemaids, construction workers, and medical personnel — have largely been deployed in Asia, Middle East, Africa, U.S. and Europe, exposing them to attacks, abuses and other tragedies abroad.
Remittances from Filipino migrant workers constitute a significant source of the country’s foreign exchange, sending home over $22 billion per year. —KBK, GMA News

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