Kin of OFWs on Jeddah death row ask govt's help
MANILA, Philippines - A sister of two of the three Filipinos who were sentenced to die for the infamous “chop-chop killings" in Saudi Arabia appealed to the government on Saturday to prevent her loved ones from being beheaded.
During a press conference in Quezon City, Norie Gonzales, sister of the two on death row in Jeddah, broke down into tears as she asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Vice President Noli De Castro, and Senate President Manuel Villar to do everything to save her brothers.
Gonzales made the appeal after Migrante International claimed that Saudi Arabia's Court of Appeals affirmed on Sept. 15 the conviction of brothers Edison and Rolando Gonzales, and Eduardo Arcilla.
In a letter dated September 24, Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr, head of the Department of Foreign Affairs’s (DFA) office of overseas workers affairs, confirmed the decision of the Saudi court upholding the death sentence of the three.
The three were sentenced by a regular court last year to die of beheading after they were found to have been directly involved in the murder of fellow Filipinos Reno Lumbang, Jeremias Bucod, and Dante Rivero in April 2006.
The appellate court also affirmed the conviction of four others accused of helping cover up the crime: Victoriano Alfonso, Efren Francisco Dumaun, Omar Basilio, and Joel Sinamban. Each was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment and 1,000 lashes each.
With the exception of Rivero, who is a Batangueňo, all the convicts and victims are from Pampanga, the province of President Arroyo. All seven accused are from Pandacaqui in Mexico town, while victims Lumbang and Bucod are from Arayat town.
The accused are all languishing at a high-security prison in Jeddah.
During the same press conference on Saturday, Migrante International accused the government for its alleged negligence on the plight of accused.
"Ayusin nila ang kanilang trabaho dahil iisa lang ang opisina nila at buhay ng mga kababayan natin ang nakasalalay rito (They should do their job properly because they work in only one office because the lives of our fellow Filipinos are on the line here)," said Migrante spokesperson Gary Martinez.
Migrante noted that Crescente Relacion, an executive director in Conejos’ office, even denied that the conviction of the seven was upheld by a higher court.
"DFA officials should get their acts together," said Martinez.
All seven accused are appealing against their sentences, which are automatically reviewed by the Court of Cassation.
Previous news reports have quoted court records in Jeddah as saying the killings resulted from a fierce rivalry between Edison Gonzales and Reno Lumbang over gambling operations in the western region of Saudi Arabia.
In what has been tagged as the worst crime ever committed by and against Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, Lumbang and his driver Bucod were killed by the Gonzales brothers and Arcilla in the heat of an argument that arose while they were playing cards in someone's house.
Lumbang and his companions later also killed Dante Rivero to silence a potential witness.
The murder of the three surfaced when police found body parts scattered in garbage bins around the city. Acting on a tip, Jeddah police rounded up more than 80 Filipinos for questioning and ended up charging seven in the triple murder case.
Police reduced the charges against Alfonso, Dumaun, Basilio, and Sinamban after they reportedly admitted their role only in disposing the chopped body parts. Police were able to recover some of the body parts through the help of the four.
DNA samples recovered from the body parts later positively matched the samples taken from the relatives of the victims.
All seven accused are appealing against their sentences, which are actually automatically reviewed by the Court of Cassation.
Migrante has asked the government to provide adequate legal assistance to the seven to ensure that their rights are protected.
Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia are reportedly in a bind because relatives of the victims are bent on seeking the beheading of the three convicts. - GMANews.TV
During a press conference in Quezon City, Norie Gonzales, sister of the two on death row in Jeddah, broke down into tears as she asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Vice President Noli De Castro, and Senate President Manuel Villar to do everything to save her brothers.
Gonzales made the appeal after Migrante International claimed that Saudi Arabia's Court of Appeals affirmed on Sept. 15 the conviction of brothers Edison and Rolando Gonzales, and Eduardo Arcilla.
In a letter dated September 24, Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr, head of the Department of Foreign Affairs’s (DFA) office of overseas workers affairs, confirmed the decision of the Saudi court upholding the death sentence of the three.
The three were sentenced by a regular court last year to die of beheading after they were found to have been directly involved in the murder of fellow Filipinos Reno Lumbang, Jeremias Bucod, and Dante Rivero in April 2006.
The appellate court also affirmed the conviction of four others accused of helping cover up the crime: Victoriano Alfonso, Efren Francisco Dumaun, Omar Basilio, and Joel Sinamban. Each was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment and 1,000 lashes each.
With the exception of Rivero, who is a Batangueňo, all the convicts and victims are from Pampanga, the province of President Arroyo. All seven accused are from Pandacaqui in Mexico town, while victims Lumbang and Bucod are from Arayat town.
The accused are all languishing at a high-security prison in Jeddah.
During the same press conference on Saturday, Migrante International accused the government for its alleged negligence on the plight of accused.
"Ayusin nila ang kanilang trabaho dahil iisa lang ang opisina nila at buhay ng mga kababayan natin ang nakasalalay rito (They should do their job properly because they work in only one office because the lives of our fellow Filipinos are on the line here)," said Migrante spokesperson Gary Martinez.
Migrante noted that Crescente Relacion, an executive director in Conejos’ office, even denied that the conviction of the seven was upheld by a higher court.
"DFA officials should get their acts together," said Martinez.
All seven accused are appealing against their sentences, which are automatically reviewed by the Court of Cassation.
Previous news reports have quoted court records in Jeddah as saying the killings resulted from a fierce rivalry between Edison Gonzales and Reno Lumbang over gambling operations in the western region of Saudi Arabia.
In what has been tagged as the worst crime ever committed by and against Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, Lumbang and his driver Bucod were killed by the Gonzales brothers and Arcilla in the heat of an argument that arose while they were playing cards in someone's house.
Lumbang and his companions later also killed Dante Rivero to silence a potential witness.
The murder of the three surfaced when police found body parts scattered in garbage bins around the city. Acting on a tip, Jeddah police rounded up more than 80 Filipinos for questioning and ended up charging seven in the triple murder case.
Police reduced the charges against Alfonso, Dumaun, Basilio, and Sinamban after they reportedly admitted their role only in disposing the chopped body parts. Police were able to recover some of the body parts through the help of the four.
DNA samples recovered from the body parts later positively matched the samples taken from the relatives of the victims.
All seven accused are appealing against their sentences, which are actually automatically reviewed by the Court of Cassation.
Migrante has asked the government to provide adequate legal assistance to the seven to ensure that their rights are protected.
Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia are reportedly in a bind because relatives of the victims are bent on seeking the beheading of the three convicts. - GMANews.TV
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