MANILA, 23 July 2003 — Three overseas Filipino workers acquitted in the murder of a policeman in Saudi Arabia may be home in five weeks or so, after they get 350 lashes each for giving contradicting testimonies on the case.
Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said he was awaiting “the safe return” of Joselito Alejo, Romeo Cordova, and Ramiro Esmero, currently in the custody of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.
The three were freed last year after five years in prison. But last July 9, the Riyadh Emergency Court ordered the lashing, saying the Filipinos had failed to report the murder of policeman Fahad Al-Otaibi, and then gave testimonies contrary to their previous statements.
Ople said the OFWs were fortunate to have avoided the death penalty “despite appeals by the family of the deceased.”
The Philippine embassy in Riyadh reported on July 14 that the decision would be forwarded to the Riyadh Court of Appeals for review. If the appellate court affirms it, Judge Al-Obad’s ruling will be forwarded to the Governor’s Office for approval. If the decision is approved, Al-Obad will order the Saudi police to implement the lashing and the Filipinos’ subsequent deportation from the kingdom.
The OFWs will get 70 lashes once a week over a five-week period, to different parts of the body, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Each lashing will be followed by a medical examination by Saudi authorities, it said.
The Filipinos will then be remanded to the custody of the Philippine embassy until the next round of lashing, the department said.
Ople said he had instructed Ambassador Bahnarim Guinomla in Riyadh to monitor closely the progress of the case.
