No blood money for family of Jullebee Ranara, says DFA

The practice of paying “blood money” is not applicable in the case of slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jullebee Ranara, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega explained why the 17-year-old suspect received lesser penalties for the brutal crime in a "24 Oras" report by Ivan Mayrina.

The Kuwait Juvenile Court has convicted the suspect and sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment for Ranara’s murder and an additional one-year in jail for driving without a license.

“From the beginning, hindi naman talaga pwedeng full life imprisonment o what dahil nga sa pagiging menor de edad ng akusado. Ganunpaman, hindi naabswelto, hindi nagkaroon ng whitewash at napakabilis ng paghatol sa kanya,” said de Vega.

(From the beginning, he cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment because he is a minor. But he was not absolved, and his case was not whitewashed. The resolution of the case was swift.)

De Vega also said that because the court did not sentence the accused with the death penalty, his family cannot ask for forgiveness or a lesser sentence through blood money.

“Di applicable ang blood money pero dapat may moral damages o restitutionary damages. 'Yun makukulong siya. Kahit anong bigay nilang damages, nakakulong pa rin siya,” he added.

(Blood money is not applicable but there will be moral damages o restitutionary damages. And he will be jailed. Regardless of the damages, he will serve prison time.)

The suspect’s camp has 30 days to appeal the judgment to the Court of First Instance.

In January, the burned body of the 35-year-old OFW was found in the desert after being allegedly abused by her employer’s 17-year-old son.

Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in January vowed that Ranara's killer would be punished for the crime.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News