OFWs on death row
UNKNOWN to many, there are now at least 44 Filipinos facing the death penalty for various crimes in three countries.
Of the death convicts, 41 are in Malaysia, two in Brunei Darussalam and one in the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Sen. Joel Villanueva bared the figures in his sponsorship of the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Based on the records of the DMW, some of the convicts were accused of illegal possession of prohibited substances and murder.
Villanueva, a pastor and a native of Bulacan, said that of the 41 Filipinos on death row in Malaysia, 33 are men while the rest are women.
DMW officials in Malaysia regularly monitor the conditions of the beleaguered Filipinos. They also provide financial assistance to the convicts.
In the eyes of various quarters, DMW authorities are doing a great job in ensuring the health, safety and welfare of our problematic countrymen.
The plight of jailed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is something we, like other well-meaning people, should never take for granted.
Of course, OFWs are considered as modern-day heroes in tne Philippines, which is one of the world’s major manpower exporters.
Our migrant workers, like health professionals, play a key role in speeding up the tempo of country’s socio-economic development
In fact. the OFWs’ trillions of dollar remittances continue to help prop up the still struggling Philippine economy.
