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MANILA, Philippines--President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has approved the release of $25,000 (about P1.2 million) to appeal the death sentence of Filipino worker Jakatia Pawa, who is on death row in Kuwait, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
The approval came several days after the Kuwait Court of Appeals upheld Pawa’s death sentence, which was meted out by a lower court on April 13, 2008, for the killing of her her employer’s 22-year-old daughter.
Pawa denied the charges against her and told the judge that one of the victim’s family members might have committed the crime.
Foreign Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said the money would be used to hire Kuwaiti lawyers to appeal Pawa’s case with the Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) where she has 30 days to appeal the verdict.
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo also directed Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Ricardo Endaya to facilitate the filing of an appeal, which will be done in consultation with Pawa’s lawyers.
Endaya had said that it was unlikely that Pawa committed the crime because the knife used in the murder did not bear her fingerprints. Neither Pawa’s dress nor her body had any blood stains when authorities found her lying outside the victim’s house.
Vice President Noli de Castro said that government was exhausting all means to save Pawa.
De Castro, presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers, dismissed reports that Pawa was neglected by the Philippine embassy, saying the government already provided her with legal assistance since the start of the case.
“Our government hired two top-caliber Kuwaiti criminal lawyers to defend her. They are attorneys Khaleel Al Qattan and Mohammed Al Saba. The government was all out in giving her legal representation so her rights will be fully protected,” De Castro said.
He also said that one option being explored was for Pawa to seek a letter of forgiveness (tanasul) from the victim’s family.
“This measure of asking for tanazul from the victim’s family is also being done now. The government is really exhausting all means to save Pawa from death row and we are optimistic that our efforts will be fruitful, just like in the cases of Marilou Ranario and May Vecina whose death sentences were commuted,” De Castro said.
Vecina was pardoned by the emir of Kuwait and will return home on June 28.
