VP Binay fears January execution of Joselito Zapanta if blood money is not paid

Joselito Zapanta, the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) on death row in Saudi Arabia, may be executed in January if his family will not be able to raise the blood money needed to save him.

This was according to Vice President Jejomar Binay, who renewed his appeal to Filipinos to contribute to the amount raised by the Philippine government, which currently stands at SR520,831 (P6,133,722).

“I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to our kababayans as the victim’s family is now becoming insistent,” said Binay, the presidential adviser on OFW concerns, in a statement Tuesday.

“We fear that the execution may happen in January if the blood money is not paid,” he added.

Zapanta was sentenced to death in 2009 for killing his Sudanese landlord allegedly out of self-defense. He was given reprieve several times in the past, once in November of last year, and another in March of this year.

The deadline for the blood money lapsed in November, with the Philippine government only raising SR520,831 (P6 million) out of the needed SAR4 million (P45 million).

“We are appealing to everyone to help us in increasing the amount we have raised as the original amount was deemed too small by the victim’s family. They may agree to accept the blood money and pardon Mr. Zapanta if we increase the amount we are offering them,” Binay said.

Donations for Zapanta's blood money may be made out to the Riyadh Philippine Embassy’s sub-account in the Saudi Hollandi Bank: Account Number 037-040-790-022 International Bank Account Number (IBAN): SA 61-5000-0000-0370-4079-0022 Swift Code: AAALSARI. — Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News