Return of 3 pardoned Filipinos in UAE eyed by July

MANILA - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is hoping to repatriate by July the three Filipinos pardoned by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the appeal of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

In a Laging Handa briefing on Wednesday, DFA Assistant Secretary Paul Raymund Cortes said the processing of papers for Filipinos who had been pardoned in the past took about a month or even less before they were able to return to the Philippines.

But he assured that the government is working to facilitate their return as soon as possible.

“Pagdating po nila dito sa Pilipinas, nandiyan po iyong mga sangay ng gobyerno na tutulong sa kanila. Nandiyan po iyong OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) just in case OWWA member siya. Nandiyan din po ang DMW (Department of Migrant Workers) to help them reintegrate back sa society po natin (When they get here, our government agencies are there to help them. There is the OWWA and the DWM to help them reintegrate back into our society),” Cortes said.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan granted the pardon to three convicted Filipinos, which UAE Ambassador Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzaabi conveyed to the government last week.

Two of the Filipinos were on death row for drug trafficking, while the other was handed down a 15-year sentence for slander, said Cortes.

Cortes disclosed there are other Filipinos in jail in the UAE and that the government continues to extend them legal assistance to ensure they are given due process.

“Iyong iba naman kasi sa mga kababayan natin, final and executory iyong mga sentence nila, kung kaya’t ang tanging aasahan natin, from the UAE side, kung mabigyan sila ng pardon na usually binibigay ng UAE this time of Eid’l Adha o kaya during or after Ramadan (Some of their sentences are final and executory, that’s why we can only rely on their being pardoned, which is usually given by the UAE at this time of Eid’l Adha, or during or after Ramadan),” he said. (PNA)