PNoy forms panel to craft govt policy on blood money

Tags: Benigno Aquino III
President Benigno Aquino III has formed a panel that will set the government's policy on dealing with blood money for convicted Filipino workers abroad, Malacañang said Monday.

“The President formed a permanent committee to... review each and every case and to come up with... clear guidelines on how our government should deal when it comes to each and every case dealing with blood money,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing.

He said Aquino, during a meeting on Monday, tasked the Vice President, Executive Secretary, and the heads of the Departments of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Budget and Management, Health, Labor and Employment, and Social Welfare and Development to be members of the panel.

The Palace made the announcement as negotiations continue between Philippine and Saudi Arabia officials regarding the case of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Joselito Zapanta, who is on death row for the 2009 killing of Sudanese Imam Ibrahim over a rental dispute.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, the presidential adviser for OFW affairs, earlier said that Aquino had already given a “substantial” amount to augment Zapanta’s blood money but that it still hasn't completed the P40 million being demanded by the victim’s family.

Lacierda, however, said Zapanta's case was not discussed during the meeting, and that Aquino just wanted to set a policy in resolving similar cases.

“The President wanted... not a response that is very situational," he said, citing other forms of support, aside from blood money, the government is giving OFWs.

“We cannot allow... our fellow Filipinos to go abroad and leave them. 'Pag may problema, wala tayong gagawin. Hindi pwede iyon. That is unacceptable to the President,” Lacierda added.

Aquino, citing data from the DOLE, earlier said that there are around 6.3 million OFWs. — Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News

Tags: Benigno Aquino III

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