News Release - March 16, 2005
References: Connie Bragas-Regalado, Chairperson, 259-1145 & 0927-2157392
Vince Borneo, Information Officer, 0927-7968198

DFA, embassy were neglecting their duties to 4 beheaded OFWs

Migrante Sectoral Party Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado today lashed out at the Department of Foreign Affairs for "merely admitting that it was caught by surprise by the recent beheading of four Filipinos in Saudi Arabia for killing a fellow-Filipino co-worker."

In an interview over radio dzBB, Foreign Affairs spokesman Gilberto Asuque said that the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh was only informed about it when the execution of Filipinos Sergio Aldana, Miguel Fernandez, Wilfredo Bautista and Antonio Alviza were already over.

"This shows that DFA officials and personnel at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh do not make any diplomatic representations for distressed and jailed overseas Filipinos. How can the Philippine government always accede to the decision of the Saudi government that is inhumane and way below internationally accepted standards of due process and compassion?" Bragas-Regalado asked.

Under Saudi laws, the death penalty is usually not carried out once the victim's family forgives the accused through an issuance of an affidavit of forgiveness. Malacañang has also admitted that it is not aware that the four Filipinos beheaded in Saudi Arabia for killing a fellow-Filipino were already forgiven by the victim's family.

"Government did not lift a finger in the cases of these four citizens. Instead of allowing them to be beheaded, Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could have intervened and saved their lives from their grisly end. This just shows how callous, how utterly devoid of sympathy the Macapagal-Arroyo government is towards OFWs," Bragas-Regalado ended. #