Companion of Pinay drug convict in China also meted death sentence but with reprieve

The Filipino companion of the Filipina who was sentenced to die by China’s Supreme People’s Court was meted also the death penalty but with two-year reprieve, meaning it can be reduced to life imprisonment if he displays good behavior while in detention. The Filipina, 35, who entered China from Dubai through a connecting flight in Hong Kong was apprehended at the Hangzhou International Airport on January 25, 2011 after authorities found 6.198 in her luggage, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said. She was arrested with a male Filipino companion, 27, who was caught carrying 6.171 of heroin. The Filipina maintained her innocence throughout the course of the trial, Hernandez said. Appeal of President Aquino The Philippines on Thursday appealed to the Chinese government to spare the life of a female Filipina drug mule who was sentenced to die for smuggling more than six kilos of heroin to China in January 2011. President Benigno Aquino III conveyed the request to commute her sentence to life imprisonment through a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping which was coursed through the Chinese Embassy in Manila and the Philippines’ Embassy in Beijing. The death penalty, usually done through lethal injection, will be carried out anytime within today, June 27, and July 2, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said. The Supreme People’s Court in Beijing affirmed a lower court decision, sentencing the Filipino national for drug trafficking, on June 26. Other drug couriers If the execution pushes through, she will be the fifth Filipino drug courier to be punished by death in China since 2011. Hernandez said Manila respects the China’s decision but said the Philippine government continues to exert efforts to save the life of the Filipino. “The Philippines respects Chinese law and their verdict of the Supreme People’s Court on the case. The Philippine government itself has a strong anti-illegal drug policy and is closely cooperating with law enforcement agencies in China and in other countries on efforts against drug trafficking,” Hernandez said. Hernandez declined to identify the Filipinos as families of the drug convicts appealed for privacy. Arrangements are being by the Filipino woman’s family for them to depart for China at the soonest possible time, Hernandez said. Drug smuggling Drug smuggling by Filipinos to China and other Asian countries continued unabated, indicating that many of them are unfazed by the death sentences that have been carried out by Beijing on Filipinos. Filipino women and lately even men are reportedly being hired by West African drug syndicates to smuggle drugs mainly in Asia and South America - sometimes by ingesting it. In China alone, Hernandez said there are a total of 213 drug-related cases involving Filipino nationals. Of this figure, 28 resulted in death penalty convictions with 2 year reprieve, 67 in life imprisonment and 107 termed imprisonment while 10 are still pending in courts. A person caught in possession of illegal drugs in the amount of more than 50 grams is meted the death penalty in China if convicted. Hernandez appealed anew to Filipinos not to allow themselves to be involved in drug trafficking and to be extremely cautious when dealing with strangers in airports and other areas of transit. “We call for personal vigilance and responsibility on the part of Filipinos who travel abroad,” he said. - VVP, GMA News