Marcos: It’s a relief to many families
PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday expressed his gratitude to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for pardoning 143 Filipinos serving time in UAE prisons for minor offenses.
In a social media post, the President said he talked by phone to Zayed last Monday and thanked him and his country for their “kindness” and the “generous pardon of 143 Filipinos, which has brought relief to many families.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said none of the 143 were on death row.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said the pardons were granted last June during the occasion of the Eid al Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice), the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year (the other being Eid al-Fitr), and considered the holier of the two.
“On the occasion of this year’s Eid al Adha which was celebrated last June, the UAE government pardoned 143 Filipinos serving time in UAE. We were formally informed of this by the UAE Embassy last August, and the Philippines appreciates this kind gesture of our friends from the United Arab Emirates,” De Vega said.
“These were not major offenses like death penalty cases, but for relatively minor offenses,” he added.
Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Joel Villanueva echoed the sentiments of Marcos, with Estrada saying: “This is an early Christmas gift to the 143 OFWs and their families.”
The President also thanked the UAE for its help and humanitarian aid in the wake of the recent typhoons and floods that struck the Philippines.
Marcos said he and Zayed also talked about Filipino workers in UAE and finds it “always inspiring to hear how our Filipino workers continue to excel and make a positive contribution in the UAE.”
“Our nations share strong bonds, rooted in the values and aspirations of our peoples, and I look forward to strengthening this partnership in the years ahead,” he added.
Last year, three Filipinos, including two on death row, were pardoned by the UAE government and repatriated to Manila.
The release of the 143 Filipinos came on the heels of the October 5 execution of a Filipino convicted for the murder of a Saudi citizen in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The UAE is a major destination for overseas Filipino workers, with 13.6 percent of the 2.16 million OFWs working there and contributing 4.2 percent of the $21.5 billion OFW remittances. Most of them are based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
De Vega said once the pardoned Filipinos are back home, government agencies such as the Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of Social Welfare and Development would help them adjust to their communities.
WEIGHING IN
“This act of compassion and understanding brings immense relief to the families of those pardoned and strengthens the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two nations. This is an early Christmas gift to the 143 OFWs and their families,” Estrada said.
“We are deeply grateful to the UAE government for their kindness to the Filipino community and for upholding mercy and humanity. May this goodwill inspire further collaboration and mutual respect between our countries,” he added.
Villanueva said as principal author and sponsor of the Department of Migrant Workers Act, “we advocate to provide the best legal support to our kababayans (countrymen) who are facing cases abroad.
“Thus, in addition to the AKSYON Fund, we must establish a more expansive system for the use of the Legal Assistance Fund. Hence, we have filed Senate Bill No. 1448, which aims to broaden the coverage of the LAF at all stages of the legal proceeding, including appeals, and ensure its immediate availability for all distressed Filipinos abroad,” Villanueva said.
AKSYON Fund was established under the Department of Migrant Workers to ensure support for OFWs needing legal, medical, or financial assistance.
The program, which replaced the Assistance to Nationals under the Department of Foreign Affairs, had a P1.2 billion budget in 2023. — With Ashzel Hachero and Raymond Africa
