Pinay 'drug mule' in Thailand ineligible for pardon

A Filipina sentenced to life imprisonment in Thailand is not eligible to seek royal pardon from the King of Thailand, as she has appealed her case before the Thai appellate court.

The Philippine Embassy in Thailand relayed this to the Bacolod City council, adding Filipina Flory May Talaban, 28, cannot avail of a Philippine-Thailand agreement allowing the transfer of prisoners at this time.

Talaban, 28, of Bacolod City, is now imprisoned in the Ngam Wong Wan Central Women's Institution for alleged illegal drug possession, news site Visayan Daily Star reported Friday.

Edgar Badajos, Consul General of the Philippine Embassy in Thailand, said Talaban is ineligible to apply for royal pardon because the guidelines issued by the Thai Department of Corrections states that “a prisoner may submit a petition for royal pardon only after he or she finished all court proceedings [including appeal]."

Bajados addressed the letter to City Council secretary Nilo Alejandrino, in response to a resolution by Councilor Caesar Distrito seeking assistance for Talaban.

Prison transfer to PHL

Also, Bajados said Talaban is barred from applying for prison transfer under the Transfer of Sentence Agreement between the Philippines and Thailand.

He said one of the criteria for applying for transfer is that the judgment must be final and no other legal proceedings related to the offense or any other offense is pending in any court in Thailand.

If Talaban wishes to apply for transfer, she has to either drop her appeal or wait until after the court process has been completely exhausted and the decision becomes final and executory, Bajados said.

Meanwhile, Badajos said the Philippine Embassy in Thailand will consult with Talaban's parents on what legal option they wish to take for their daughter.

He also assured they will support whatever decision the family will make. — JE/LBG, GMA News

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