Once a death row inmate, OFW returns to PH from Saudi

Overseas Filipino worker Rose Policarpio (left) arrives in Manila on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

MANILA, Philippines — An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was accused of murder in Saudi Arabia and was on death row has returned to the Philippines on Tuesday after six years of legal battle.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced the arrival of Rose Policarpio in Manila.

The 31-year-old OFW was deployed as a food server in Saudi Arabia in 2013.

A few days after her arrival in Riyadh, she was imprisoned for murder after being accused of killing her female employer, according to the DFA.

The DFA said it had provided and paid for the services of Policarpio’s legal counsel through the government’s legal assistance fund.

“Policarpio, in her quest for justice, had consistently denied the crime and insisted on her innocence,” the DFA said.

Policarpio was eventually found not guilty by the lower court, the verdict of which was sustained by the court of appeals.

This led to her eventual release from detention and repatriation, the DFA added.

“In her almost six years of legal battle, the DFA, through the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, made strong representations and closely worked on the case of OFW Policarpio,” the department said.

“The DFA’s timely legal assistance ensured that her rights are protected under Saudi laws. The Philippine Embassy also regularly visited her in jail and provided her with welfare assistance,” it added.

After securing her release, the DFA said it settled Policarpio’s incurred immigration penalties and secured her exit visa.

“Ms. Policarpio’s eventual acquittal is an example of the government’s commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of our OFWs. With her new lease on life, we wish her success in her future endeavors,” Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said in the same statement.

“This is a vindication of Ms. Policarpio and a clear declaration of her innocence. This is also a testament that the DFA and its people are willing to go the extra mile in order to protect and safeguard the rights of our kababayan wherever they are in the world,” Arriola added.