DFA denies scheduled beheading of OFW couple in Saudi

Government authorities denied reports that a Filipino couple in Saudi Arabia accused of murdering their hired househelp, also a Filipina, two years ago are scheduled for beheading on Friday. “An execution is unlikely at this time as Saudi authorities are still finalizing the murder charge against the couple, and the case will still undergo a judicial process," Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ed Malaya told GMANews.TV. The couple, identified as Carlo Reno and Marlyn Reno, were accused of killing their Filipino helper two years ago. According to an online news report, the two pointed to each other as the actual perpetrator, but police has yet to be establish who the perpetrator was. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary on Migrant Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said in the same report that the couple have been detained since December 8 but charges have yet to be filed against them. In a press statement, Filipino migrant rights group Migrante expressed concern that the national government has yet to act to assist the couple even as news of their beheading had already been circulating among Filipinos in Saudi Arabia. Malaya, however, said the Philippine embassy in Riyadh is doing what it can to ensure that the rights to due process of the couple are respected, and that it has already requested the Saudi authorities for custody of the couple’s three children who are aged 2, 3, and 5. - Jerrie M. Abella, GMANews.TV