Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 2) — Two Filipinos convicted of drug trafficking in China were executed last week, 10 years after their arrest, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed on Saturday.
It said the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou confirmed that the two were put to death on Nov. 24.
The DFA also explained it is withholding the identities of the Filipinos and had deferred from announcing the development to respect their families’ request for privacy, and pending confirmation from China.
“We offer our most sincere condolences to their families and loved ones,” it wrote in a statement.
“From the time the two Filipinos were arrested in 2013, to their criminal trial, and on through their appeal before the High Court of the court’s judgment of conviction in 2018, the Department provided all possible assistance, including legal assistance funding,” it added.
The government said it “exhausted all measures available” to appeal to China to commute their sentences to life imprisonment on humanitarian grounds.
There were also high-level political representations over the matter.
“Our repeated appeals were consistent with the laws and values of our nation, which put the highest premium on human life,” the DFA said.
“In the end, the Chinese government, citing their internal laws, upheld the conviction, and the Philippines must respect China’s criminal laws and legal processes,” it also said.
The department said it assisted the families of the two Filipinos in their recent compassionate visit to Guangzhou.
Based on official data, there are 92 Filipino death penalty cases in China — of which all but one are drug-related.
Of the total count, two cases have been reduced to life-imprisonment, while 86 have been commuted to fixed term. This means two remain pending and are being appealed.
According to the government, the recent deaths strengthen its resolve to continue its fight against drug syndicates “that prey on the vulnerable, including those seeking better lives for themselves and their families.”
It also warned Filipinos who wish to travel abroad to be careful not to unwittingly become drug mules.
The DFA reminded them not to carry any package that they have not personally packed and thoroughly inspected.
