OFW saved from death asks for Binay’s help

Rodelio Dondon Lanuza FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Pardoned death convict and former overseas Filipino worker Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza on Sunday asked Vice President Jejomar Binay for financial assistance and help in getting a job.

“I would like to appeal to your kind heart and seek any form of assistance in order for me to start anew. Currently, after being released from the most traumatic point of my life, I’m still in the process of getting my life back together,” Lanuza said in his letter to Binay, who is also the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers.

Lanuza, a resident of Sampaloc, Manila, said he still had no means of support.

“It has always been a daily struggle, that’s why I humbly ask for your consideration for any jobs available in your kind office. I’ve tried numerous times to apply for jobs; however, the competition with new graduates and professionals is quite high,” he said.

Lanuza, 38, returned home last September from Saudi Arabia where he was imprisoned for 13 years following his conviction for the murder of an Arab man. The family of the victim demanded blood money of three million Saudi riyals (about P34 million).

After an international fund-raising drive generated only 700,000 riyals, a surprise donation of the remaining 2.3 million riyals came from the Saudi king, which secured Lanuza’s release.—Jerome Aning

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