RP optimistic on Vecina sentence commutation

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Noli de Castro on Thursday expressed optimism that Filipino worker May Vecina's death sentence may be commuted following an appeal from the Spanish government.

In a radio interview, De Castro said based on communication with Spanish officials, the Emir of Kuwait has agreed to commute Vecina's sentence. He, however, noted that the Philippine government has not received confirmation on the sentence commutation from the Kuwaiti government.

De Castro said the development stemmed from an informal request made by the King of Spain during a recent visit to Kuwait.

"Na-involve ang Spain sa pakikipagusap din. Pumunta ang King of Spain sa Kuwait para makiramay. Nabanggit niya... at inaprubahan ng Emir (Spain got involved in the efforts to save Vecina. The King of Spain went to Kuwait to condole with the emir over the death of former Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Abdullah al-Sabah. He mentioned the matter to Kuwaiti Emir Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, who approved the request)," De Castro said in an interview on dzXL radio.

Citing information he obtained from Foreign Affairs Sec. Alberto Romulo, De Castro said Vecina's sentence may be commuted, though there is no official announcement yet.

He said Romulo received a call on the matter from the Spanish Foreign Minister Wednesday night.

"Ang report baka ma-commute uli. Wala pang confirmation (The report is that the sentence will likely be commuted, but there is no official confirmation yet)," De Castro said.

De Castro noted that an official announcement may not be due until February next year, when Kuwait marks its national day.

With this development, De Castro appealed for prayers for Vecina and her family. "I-follow up natin ng dasal (Let's just follow this up with our prayers)," he said.

Earlier this month, De Castro made a pitch for Vecina when he visited Kuwait to relay the Philippines' condolences for the death of its former emir.

The Kuwaiti Supreme Court had upheld Vecina's death penalty for killing her employer's youngest son in January 2007.

During his visit, De Castro said, he was "granted 10 precious minutes with the highest Kuwaiti official regarding relevant issues that included the fate of Vecina." - GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more