Inquirer file photo
MANILA, Philippines — The overseas Filipino worker (OFW) recently executed in Saudi Arabia after being convicted of murder was involved in a “serious” physical altercation with the victim over a business dispute, in which he claimed to have acted in “self-defense,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) clarified on Monday.
The DFA confirmed last month that Saudi authorities executed the unnamed OFW on Oct. 5 for the murder of a local. It said the incident stemmed from a financial dispute in October 2020, with the OFW engaged in unspecified business ventures in Saudi Arabia.
But in a statement issued on Monday, Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the confrontation between the OFW and the victim was “more serious than previously known.”
READ: DFA: Gov’t tried to save Filipino executed in Saudi Arabia
“The OFW was threatened, attacked, and beaten in his own residence by the victim over monetary issues. This prior assault by the victim would later compel the OFW to act in what he believed to be self-defense, resulting in the death of the victim,” said De Vega, who spoke with the OFW’s family.
‘Heartbreaking outcome’
He added that what began as a disagreement escalated into a physical fight, ultimately leading to a fatal encounter.
“While we cannot undo the heartbreaking outcome, we owe it to the OFW’s family to publicly acknowledge the full context of these events. May this clarification help provide some measure of peace to the family and to all those affected by this tragedy,” De Vega said.
The DFA declined to disclose further details about the OFW and noted that no additional interviews or queries would be entertained to respect the family’s privacy.
The department previously said that all efforts were made to assist the Filipino, including an offer of up to P10 million in “blood money” to the victim’s family, which was declined.
“The Philippine government provided legal assistance and exhausted all possible remedies, including a presidential letter of appeal. But the victim’s family refused to accept blood money in return for forgiveness of the Filipino, and so the execution proceeded,” the DFA said.
De Vega mentioned in October that the Filipino worker filed a labor case against his employer before his execution, with a local court in Saudi Arabia ruling in August that the employer must pay 52,000 Saudi riyals (P790,000) to the OFW.
“Our lawyers will continue to explore options to obtain the amount directly from the employer and have it delivered to the family,” De Vega said.