Duterte to be briefed on Dalquez case before MidEast trip –officials

President Rodrigo Duterte will be briefed about the case of Jennifer Dalquez, the Filipina on death row in the UAE, before he pushes for the Middle East this month, but there is no assurance yet that she will be part of his itinerary, officials said Thursday.
"I haven’t seen an actual directive for us to the president. But obviously the president is concerned with OFWs and it (Dalquez's case) is gonna be on his radar," said Raul Dado, executive director of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
"So we prepare him all the legal briefing papers that he may need to make arrangements," Dado added.
ACTS OFW party-list Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III told GMA News Online that a lawyer has been sent ahead of the presidential party to look into Dalquez's case as she has yet to be added to the president's agenda.
"Hindi dadaan ang presidente sa UAE, but we already advanced a lawyer there to handle this case," Bertiz said. "Wala pa kaming nakuha na schedule talaga from Malacañang."
The 30-year-old Dalquez was sentenced to death in 2015 for killing her employer who allegedly tried to rape her at knifepoint
For Dalquez to be freed, the family of the victim must opt for blood money during her re-scheduled trial on April 12.
"We’re going to have to negotiate for the children to give the tanazur or forgiveness as part of Sharia law," Dado said.
"I will make sure na ma-agenda yung pinangako yung topic na nangako ang hari na lahat ng mga settlement ng Pilipino ay babayaran nila pero wala naming nangyayari pa hanggang sa ngayon. Ilang libo na yung nandito na, walang makain, walang trabaho," Bertiz said.
As of Wednesday, Duterte's official itinerary includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar though his schedule could change at any time..
"Nag-indicate ang mga bansa na ito that they will going to strengthen our economic relationship. Yung pag-invest nila rito ng, in terms of electricity or power. And then to strengthen bilateral agreements for the protections of our OFWs," Bertiz said.
"According to the countries themselves, malaking kawalan sa kanila pag nawala ang Filipinos sa kanila," he added. —KBK, GMA News

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