Government to assist 6 Pinoy workers jailed in Saudi on murder raps

The government will provide special assistance to six Filipino workers jailed in Saudi Arabia for the alleged murder of a compatriot, Malacañang said yesterday.

The Palace said in a statement that the witness in the case, another Filipino overseas worker, had retracted his earlier testimony and said he had been tortured into fingering the six accused Filipinos, Sergio Aldana, Alex Hugo, Antonio Alveza, Willy Bautista, Miguel Fernandez and Joven Praxidio.

The six were accused of killing Filipino worker Jaime de la Cruz last year after he won a huge amount in an underground lottery.

The Presidential Palace said the next hearing for the six accused was scheduled for March 14 but gave no further details on the charges against them.

National Labor Relations Commission Chairman Roy Señeres said he has contacted Consul General Kadatuan Yusop in Jeddah who informed him of the March 14 hearing.

The wife of De la Cruz has reportedly said she is willing to drop the charges against the six in return for P6 million in "blood money" and a letter asking for forgiveness, the Palace said.

It did not say whether Manila would provide the payment or what other course of action the government would take.

In the past, Filipinos facing the death penalty in the Middle East have managed to win their freedom by paying blood money to the families of their victims.

About 5.5 million Filipinos work overseas, many of them in the Middle East. Their remittances are one of the country’s top sources of foreign exchange.

The jailing and execution of Filipino workers overseas has often sparked popular outrage in this country.

The execution of Filipina domestic helper Flor Contemplacion, hanged for murder in Singapore in 1995, embarrassed the government of then President Fidel Ramos and triggered a brief diplomatic row between the Philippines and Singapore. – Jose Rodel Clapano