No overseas Filipino on death row executed this year - DFA

By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA Integrated News Published December 28, 2022 3:16pm No overseas Filipino on death row has been executed this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday. "Ang major accomplishment po namin, ng opisina, iyong tinatawag nating Legal Assistance Fund – iyong pagbibigay ng legal assistance sa ating mga kababayan. Itong taon walang na-execute na Pilipino," DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jose de Vega said during the public briefing. (One major accomplishment of our office is giving legal assistance to our countrymen abroad. No Filipino has been executed this year.) He cited appeals to foreign governments but did not provide details. In September, the Philippines requested executive clemency from Indonesia for Mary Jane Veloso, who was sentenced to death in 2010 after being found guilty of drug trafficking. Veloso denied the allegations made against her and insisted that she had been tricked by her recruiters into accepting a suitcase containing illegal drugs. Ukraine, trafficking victims De Vega also said that the Philippine government was able to ensure the safety of Filipinos stranded in Ukraine, a country besieged by attacks from Russia since February 24. "In Ukraine, no Filipino was hurt, and we were able to give assistance in different ways, such as by helping them move to other parts of Europe," de Vega said. "We were also able to aid stranded Filipino seafarers in Ukraine," he added. The DFA earlier said that 7,000 Filipinos have been repatriated to the Philippines this year. "It is not all because there was conflict in the country where they are at. Some had to leave their employers due to abuse, and we assisted them in securing exit permits," he said. De Vega, however, said that challenges remain, including rescuing human trafficking victims in Southeast Asian countries. "There are a few hundred of them in Southeast Asian countries who were recruited as data encoders, but it turns out they are being employed in offshore gaming operations or as scammers," he said. "That is why we continue to appeal to the public to go through the proper process and check with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)," de Vega added. —VBL, GMA Integrated News

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