Marcos on executed Pinoy in Saudi: It was a terrible tragedy

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Jr. on Tuesday called as a terrible tragedy the execution of a Filipino in Saudi Arabia for murder. 

"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. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier reported that a Filipino in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been executed for the murder of a Saudi national.

"The Saudi government really tried to look and to be sure that the judgment was actually deserved, and nonetheless, we appealed to the better nature, I guess, of our friends in Saudi Arabia to perhaps have another look, and they did," Marcos added. 

However, since the law in Saudi Arabia is very strict, Marcos said, "The conviction has stood, and one of ours has been taken away. Yes, very unfortunate."

The President extended his thoughts and prayers to the family of the executed Filipino. 

"There's nothing that one can do to make to whole but we will do our best. We'll see what they need," he added. 

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the government did all it could and exhausted all possible remedies including sending a presidential letter of appeal, but the efforts were unsuccessful.

He also said the family of the executed Filipino requested for privacy and for the details to be withheld from the public. 

Meanwhile, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said they are now working closely with the DFA in the immediate repatriation of the remains.

As of March 2023, the DFA said there are 83 Filipinos abroad 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 the 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. —Sherylin Untalan/AOL, GMA Integrated News