OFW finally home after 20 years in Kuwaiti jail

Joseph Urbiztondo, the Filipino instructor in Kuwait who was jailed for 20 years for a crime he said he did not commit, is finally home, a radio report said Tuesday.
A report by Mao del Cruz on dzBB radio said Urbiztondo arrived in the country past 8 a.m. on board a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight and was greeted by his family and relatives at the airport.

The report said Urbiztondo thanked all the people and organizations who helped him pay the $26,000-dollar blood money needed for his release.
Urbiztondo, 45, was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in 1996 for killing a Bangladeshi co-worker. He was released January 2016 after paying the blood money and securing a letter of forgiveness from the victim's son.
Even today, Urbiztondo maintained his innocence, saying he was forced to admit to the crime after he was tortured by authorities.
The dzBB report said Urbiztondo, who is from Cavite province, intends to visit the tombs of his parents first, adding both died while he was incarcerated in Kuwait.
The blood money was raised through the help of Filipino organizations in Kuwait. —KBK, GMA News

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