Overseas Filipino worker Jennifer Dalquez who is in death row in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been acquitted of the murder of her male employer.
Dalquez, 30, a mother of two, however was still sentenced to serve a five-year prison term, according to the advocacy group Migrante International.
READ: UAE court acquits OFW Jennifer Dalquez
“Migrante International is very happy to receive news that Jennifer Dalquez has been acquitted from the crime of murder and thus saved from death row,” the group said on Tuesday.
“Because of her acquittal, no blood money is required of Jennifer. She however is still expected to serve a five-year jail time,” Migrante added.
The group said Dalquez’s parents, who are in General Santos City, were contacted by the Department of Foreign Affairs about the news of the acquittal.
Migrante said they were also informed by the DFA of the news.
“Once again, our collective prayers, active intervention and resounding clamor for justice have prevailed. On behalf of the Dalquez family, we thank all supporters, migrants advocates and human rights defenders in the ‘Save Jennifer Dalquez’ campaign. We stand resolute to continue with the fight to save all Filipinos on death row,” the group said.
In an interview, Migrante spokesperson Arman Hernandez said lawyers are still going over the court records to assess legal options about Dalquez’s five-year jail term.
Hernandez said they hoped the court will consider the two and a half years that Dalquez has so far served in prison.
“Her family is in General Santos. They were very happy when they learned the news. It is Ramadan. They are planning a celebration after Ramadan,” he said.
Dalquez was imprisoned in December 2014 and sentenced to death by the United Arab Emirates Court of First Instance in April 2015 for killing her last employer.
She claimed self-defense, saying she accidentally killed her male employer when he tried to rape her at knifepoint.
Dalquez appealed her death sentence. On May 31, she swore before the court in the name of Allah that she killed her employer in self-defense.
Her employer’s two sons reportedly did not attend court hearings to swear in the name of Allah that Dalquez murdered their father.
She left to work in the UAE in December 2012 and has not come home since.
She left her two young children, now ages 8 and 5 to the care of her parents. Her father drives a passenger tricycle while her mother is a housewife. Her husband is also a tricycle driver. CBB/rga