“The family rejected the offer two weeks ago, prompting Joselito Zapanta, 32, to call Migrante-Middle East for assistance,” John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East’s regional coordinator, told Arab News on Monday.
Monterona called Ambassador-Designate Ezzedin H. Tago on Monday about the case, and the latter told him that seeking the SRC's assistance is one of the options being considered by the embassy to help Zapanta.
The SRC had earlier succeeded in convincing a family to accept blood money in exchange for forgiveness for Rodelio “Don Don” Lanuza, who is currently detained at the Dammam Central Jail for killing a Saudi in what he claimed self-defense.
Zapanta, who had been identified only as “Jose” in previous reports, hails from the town of Mexico, Pampanga province, and has been detained at the Malaz Central Jail since June 2009 after killing his Sudanese landlord in what he claimed self-defense.
“According to Zapanta, he had been brutally beaten by his Sudanese landlord when he refused to give him rent, which was not yet due. The landlord allegedly attacked him and he fought back, accidentally killing him in the process,” Monterona said.
The information was relayed to Zapanta's family, who immediately sought the assistance of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs at the Philippine Embassy.
The family had told the media in Manila that Zapanta had a good chance of winning the case because there were many eyewitnesses to the incident.
“On April 13, 2010, Zapanta called his family telling them that had been given the death sentence by the Court of First Instance and had until May 1, 2010, to appeal the verdict,” Monterona said.
Eventually, blood money was offered to the victim’s family by Zapanta's lawyer, which was rejected.
Zapanta arrived in Riyadh on Oct. 14, 2008, to work as tile setter Since salary was not being given for the first six months, he looked for another job through the help of a compatriot. He then worked in different places on a part-time basis.
