THE Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that 68 Filipinos jailed in the United Arab Emirates for various offenses were granted pardon.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs would like to express its gratitude to the government of the United Arab Emirates for granting humanitarian pardon to 68 Filipino detainees on the occasion of the celebration of Eid al-adha last month,” the DFA said in a statement.
“This generous and benevolent gesture is a testament to the robust bilateral relations between the Philippines and the UAE, and a lasting gift to the families of the pardoned Filipinos,” it added.
The Eid al-adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is one of the two Islamic holidays celebrated each year.
In his 4th State of the Nation Address last Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed Manila’s gratitude to the governments of the UAE, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait for granting clemency and pardon to more than 600 Filipinos over the years who were convicted of various offenses.
In March this year, the UAE government also pardoned 115 Filipinos.
During last year’s Eid Al-Adha, the UAE government also pardoned 143 Filipinos and another 200 in time to mark the country’s national day.
There are around 700,000 Filipinos living and working in the UAE, including 450,000 in Dubai.
