DFA working to bring home remains of 2 Pinoys executed in China

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is working on bringing home the remains of the two Filipinos who were recently executed in China for drug trafficking, Unang Balita reported on Wednesday.

The two Filipino nationals were executed on November 24, 2023.

The Chinese Embassy issued a statement reiterating China's zero-tolerance stance on cases involving illegal drugs.

"China unswervingly adheres to the law in combating drug-related crimes, always maintaining zero tolerance and a high-pressure deterrence, and resolutely punishing in accordance with the law," it said.

It also underscored that a fair trial was held for the two Filipinos and the Philippine Consulate was even allowed to perform their duties.

"Chinese side fully guaranteed the various procedural and the litigation rights of the two Filipinos in accordance with the law, and provided the necessary facilities for the consular officials of the Philippine side to perform their duties," the embassy added.

The DFA said the two executed Filipinos were arrested in 2013 after they were caught with 11 kilos of shabu hidden in a DVD player.

They were convicted in 2016.

In an earlier statement, the DFA said its officials had accompanied the relatives of the two convicted Filipinos who went to China for a "compassionate visit" of their loved ones.

The department provided all possible assistance, including legal assistance funding, through the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs from their arrest until the Chinese court’s judgment.

“The Government of the Republic of the Philippines further exhausted all measures available to appeal to the relevant authorities of the People’s Republic of China to commute their sentences to life imprisonment on humanitarian grounds. There were also high-level political representations in this regard,” the DFA said.

“Our repeated appeals were consistent with the laws and values of our nation, which put the highest premium on human life. In the end, the Chinese government, citing their internal laws, upheld the conviction, and the Philippines must respect China’s criminal laws and legal processes,” it said.

There are 92 Filipino death penalty cases in China. Of the 92, all but one are drug related cases.  

Out of the 92 cases: two cases were commuted to life imprisonment; 86 cases were reduced to a fixed term, and four were pending death penalty cases.  

With these 2 executions, there remain 2 death penalty cases pending final review or on appeal.  — BAP/KBK, GMA Integrated News