2 Pinoys nabbed in Saudi chop-chop case admit to killing compatriots

Two Filipinos arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the recovery of human body parts have allegedly admitted to Saudi police to killing three of their six missing compatriots, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The two implicated two other Filipinos in the crime, however.

Gilberto Asuque, DFA spokesman, said Consul General to Jeddah Pendosina Lomondot reported the three missing Filipinos have been confirmed dead.

The DFA has withheld the names of the murdered Filipinos and those of their alleged killers, pending notice to their relatives.

In his report, Lomondot said he received the information after coordinating with the police on his request to view and identify the dismembered human remains.

His request to be allowed to identify the remains has been granted, he added.

Lomondot said he was expected to be accompanied by Janoobiyah police authorities to identify the remains yesterday.

Lt. Col. Abdulrahman Al-Malki, Janoobiyah police intelligence officer, assured him that the Filipinos found innocent will be released to their employers or sponsors, he added.

Lomondot said police intelligence officers are enlisting the cooperation of garbage collectors in Jeddah to recover the other parts of the dismembered bodies.

He met with Filipino community leaders in Jeddah last April 16 to seek their assistance in conveying to other Filipinos the importance of strictly complying with Saudi laws, he added.

Lomondot said consulate officials learned that three Filipinos were arrested by Saudi police in connection with the dismembered human remains found in Southern Jeddah.

One of the three Filipinos reported missing was actually detained at the police station and would only be released to his mother, he added.

The Filipinos were arrested and detained by Jeddah police last April 16.

Meanwhile, the DFA summoned Saudi Arabian Ambassador Mohammed Ameen Mohammed Wali yesterday regarding the arrest of around 100 Filipinos workers in Southern Jeddah.

Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Rafael Seguis said Wali was summoned to express the government’s concern over the reported mass arrest of Filipinos.

Seguis informed Wali that President Arroyo had expressed concern over the reported arrest and detention of a large number of Filipino workers in Jeddah.

Seguis emphasized the importance of respecting the rights of the Filipinos, allowing them access to Philippine consular officials in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and of ensuring the physical well-being of the Filipinos during their detention and investigation.

Wali told Seguis he would forward to his government Mrs. Arroyo’s concerns, as well as the sentiments expressed by the DFA.

"I spoke to the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior in Saudi and he told me it’s all Filipinos between each other," he said in an interview. "There were no Saudis involved in that."

At Malacañang, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said yesterday "no stone would be left unturned" in the investigation of 10 Filipino miners in Saudi Arabia who were implicated in the slaying of six people in Jeddah.

The government will keep the public updated on the case, he added.

"Like the rest of the Filipino people, we all want to know the motive and identify the suspects involved in this gruesome crime," he said.

"The government shall continue to work closely with Saudi authorities to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the investigation."

On the other hand, Pedro Chan, DFA Office of Migrant Workers’ Affairs executive director, said as many as 100 Filipinos were arrested by Saudi authorities in Jeddah, and that 52 Filipinos were still being detained for questioning.

Many of the Filipinos were released immediately once authorities had established their innocence, he added.

Chan said it is possible that the Filipinos who were reported missing and believed killed by fellow Filipinos in Saudi were involved in lottery and phone-card scams.

Other foreign nationals from Thailand and Bangladesh have also been linked to the scams, he added.

Chan said the latest report reaching the DFA indicated that at least three of the six Filipinos reported missing had already "surfaced."

Saudi authorities are zeroing in on lottery and non-payment of proceeds from sale of prepaid phone cards, he added.

Chan said in many cases, authorities had picked up for questioning people whose names were listed in the address books of the cell phones they had seized.

Once those questioned were found to know nothing about the scam, they were immediately released, he added. — With Aurea Calica