OFW in Saudi jail coming home

MANILA, Philippines—After languishing for 11 years on death row in Saudi Arabia, overseas Filipino worker Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza is coming home soon.

Migrante International said the Saudi Reconciliation Committee (SRC) granted freedom to Lanuza, 39, after his family and supporters had raised the P35 million in “diya”—blood money—that was needed to compensate the family of the man he killed.

“We are very happy for Dondon and the Lanuza family. All our efforts have not been in vain, and we attribute this mainly to Dondon’s fighting spirit and the collective efforts of friends, supporters and family,” said Garry Martinez, Migrante International chair.

“If not for these, the Philippine and Saudi governments would not have given proper attention to Dondon’s case,” he added.

Martinez said Lanuza was imprisoned 11 years ago for the murder of a Saudi man in 2000. Lanuza maintained that he killed the man in self-defense.

The man’s family forgave Lanuza in February last year, but required him to pay blood money in exchange for his freedom.

“There is still much help needed to campaign for the lives of other OFWs on death row,” Martinez said. “Dondon’s experience and story will serve as an inspiration to our kababayans who have been losing hope, especially after the execution of four Filipinos in China last year.”

Martinez cited the cases of brothers Rolando and Edison Gonzales and Eduardo Arcilla who were sentenced to death by beheading in Saudi Arabia in 2006 for the murder of fellow Filipinos Romeo Lumbang, Jeremias Bucud and Dante Rivero.

The Gonzaleses and Arcilla claimed that they were tortured into admitting the crime, Martinez said.

In 2010, the relatives of the victims received blood money from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

According to Saudi law, however, payment of blood money does not ensure the commutation of sentence or the release from prison of convicts, so the Gonzaleses and Arcilla remain on death row in Saudi Arabia.

“It is really up to the lobbying efforts of the Philippine government, especially since the victims’ families are based in the Philippines,” Martinez said.

According to Martinez, there are 122 Filipinos on death row in foreign prisons. Migrante International is handling eight of these cases.