RP asks China's Supreme Court to spare lives of 5 Pinoys on drug raps

MANILA, Philippines –  The government has asked China’s Supreme Court to spare the lives of five Filipino death convicts on grounds that they are not leaders of drug syndicates.

Speaking at the Senate yesterday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for migrant workers affairs Esteban Conejos said two of the cases would be decided in the next two to three weeks.

The appeal for the two were based on grounds that new evidence has been found in their favor, he added.

Conejos said China’s Supreme Court would stay the execution of convicts based only on three grounds: clear error of law, the convict is pregnant, and introduction of newly-discovered evidence.

He expressed hoped that the Supreme Court would consider the new evidence.

Conejos said the DFA has been working with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in going after drug syndicates that recruit Filipinos.

“There is new material fact which will help the Chinese government identify the international syndicate that victimized our OFWs and as a result of that, we are able to destroy and dismantle the apparatus of this syndicate,” he said.

Conejos said two syndicate members have been arrested and China’s Supreme Court has been informed.

“We have communicated this to the Supreme People’s Court and said look, as a result of the candid disclosure of our OFW, we were able to identify the syndicate,” he said.

 “Do not execute because we still need her to identify the other members. Apparently it is getting resonance in the Supreme Court.”

 Conejos said the same tactic was used for the male convict. He expressed hope that it would get a favorable result from China’s Supreme Court.

“So hopefully, we cross our fingers, because of this new development, we would not have any execution within the next two or three weeks,” he said.