Permanent source of blood money eyed

The Aquino administration is forming a technical working group to come up with a sustainable means to raise “blood money” for migrant Filipinos on death row in the Middle East.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said “blood money” requests by migrant workers has continuously increased. He said the last blood money request was for the amount of P35 million.

“A decision was reached to form a technical working group to really study the policy when it comes to blood money because its cost continues to increase,” Lacierda said in Thursday’s news briefing.

The decision for a technical working group was reached after President Aquino’s meeting on Wednesday with representatives from the departments of foreign affairs, justice, budget and management and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs.

“The DFA’s assessment was that it is not going to be sustainable in the long term,” Lacierda said.

“So that is why they formed a technical working group to come up with a viable way of addressing the issue,” Lacierda said.