Government flies kin of doomed drug mule to China

The Philippine government has flown to China four family members of a 35-year-old Filipino drug trafficking convict scheduled to be executed tomorrow.

The family members left an hour before Vice President Jejomar Binay personally delivered to the Chinese Embassy in Makati City the letter of President Benigno Aquino III to Premiere Hu Jin Tao asking for the commutation of the death sentence of a Filipino national.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez said the family members, three women and one man, were accompanied by a Philippine consular official in their flight to Guangzhou.

“They will be attended to by our consulate there. A visit has already been scheduled so that they can speak to him,” he said.

Request of privacy

Hernandez said the family insisted on their privacy and requested that their flight details be kept confidential. Sources at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, however, said the family members left on board China Southern Airlines flight CZ-3092 that left Naia Terminal 1 for Guangzhou at around 12:10 p.m.

“I met them a few moments ago [before their flight] and they are really in a sad situation. They’re still hoping that the sentence on their brother will be commuted to life imprisonment,” Hernandez said.

From Guangzhou, the family members will be brought to see the convict, who is imprisoned in the city of Guilin in the Guangzxi Zhuang autonomous region, near the Chinese boarder with Vietnam.

On the other hand, Binay, who is the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Concerns, arrived at the Chinese Embassy in Dasmariñas Village around 1:15 p.m. and was welcomed by charges d affaires Bai Tian, who received President Aquino’s letter.

“We fully respect the laws of China and we are appealing to you on humanitarian grounds,” Binay told Bai.

Binay, in a statement, said he reiterated that the Philippines is “a predominantly Christian nation” and mentioned that December 8 holds “a special significance” to Filipinos as it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, who was declared principal patroness of the Philippines by Pope Pius XII in September 1942.

Bai gave the assurance that Aquino’s letter “would be immediately delivered to the authorities concerned,” Binay said.

In his letter to the Chinese Premier, Aquino appealed for the commutation of the Filipino’s sentence to life imprisonment.

Humanitarian reasons

“For humanitarian reasons, I appeal to Your Excellency to spare the life of [the Filipino] who was convicted and sentenced to death by the Guilin Municipal People’s Court,” Aquino wrote.

“I wish to stress that my Government fully respects the law of China. However, I am moved by compassion for the family of [the Filipino] who is appealing that he be given a second chance to reform himself,” he added.

The Filipino, who flew to China from Malaysia, was convicted for smuggling 1.495 kilos of heroin. He was arrested on Sept. 13, 2008 at the Guilin International Airport.

Last month, China’s Supreme People’s Court affirmed the death sentence on the Filipino, who is to be executed by lethal injection.

In practice, a death convict in China only gets to know the carrying of his sentence on the day of the scheduled execution itself.

Binay,  was supposed to leave for China to deliver the letter to the Chinese president, but the Chinese government said “it was unable to arrange his visit at this time.”

Originally posted: 8:00 pm | Tuesday, December 6th, 2011