Filipino executed for murder in Saudi Arabia —DFA

A Filipino in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been executed for the murder of a Saudi national, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday.

“We regret to confirm the news that a Filipino has been executed in Saudi Arabia for murder,” the DFA said in a statement.

“The Philippine government provided legal assistance and exhausted all possible remedies, including a presidential letter of appeal. But the victim’s family refused to accept blood money in return for forgiveness of the Filipino, and so the execution proceeded,” it added.

According to the DFA, the family in the Philippines of the executed Filipino has requested that their privacy be respected and for details to be withheld from the public. 

“Out of respect for their wishes, we will not divulge more details on the case,” the DFA said.

'Terrible tragedy'

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Jr., meanwhile, described as a terrible tragedy the execution of the unnamed Filipino.

"There was very little we had left to do; we had few options left. We tried everything and for many, many years," Marcos said in an ambush interview with reporters before leaving for Lao PDR for the ASEAN Summit.. 

He added the government has been appealing the case for five to six years. 

In a chance interview in Villamor Air Base, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac ensured that the government would provide assistance to the executed Filipino's family.

''The family is requesting privacy. Rest assured we're assisting them, the family and this is a case na medyo matagal na rin, nasa OWWA pa ko noon [this case had been for here for awhile, back when I was still with OWWA],'' Cacdac told reporters.

''Ýun nga, the family is requesting privacy, galangin na lang natin 'yung privacy ng family (let us respect the family's privacy),'' he added.

Cacdac also emphasized that the government had exhausted all measures as regards the case.

Cacdac said the DMW is working closely with the DFA in the immediate repatriation of the Filipino's body.

GMA News Online has reached out to Philippine Embassy in Riyadh Chargé d'affaires Rommel Romato for more information about the case but he has yet to provide a statement as of posting time.

As of March 2023, the DFA said there are 83 Filipinos abroad are on death row in different countries due to various offenses.

Of the said figure, 56 are in Malaysia while the rest are facing death row in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, USA, Japan and Brunei.

Most of the death row cases involve illegal drugs and theft.  —with Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK/RSJ/AOL, GMA Integrated News