RIYADH: Filipinos in the Kingdom have called on the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to spare Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from extrajudicial killing in connection with its drug campaign.
They were reacting to a report aired by TV Patrol on ABS-CBN on Sept. 23, regarding the killing of 27-year-old Mark Culata, an OFW who was working in the Kingdom and was just taking his vacation.
Culata was arrested by operatives of government at a checkpoint in Cavite Province, south of Manila, but was found dead later on.
“Being an OFW, Culata could not be ‘a pusher.’ He had just come from the Kingdom which is very strict when it comes to illegal drugs,” said Arnold G. Pineda, a Filipino community worker in Buraidah.
He said: “Culata’s death was a total disregard of OFWs’ contributions to our country, particularly its economy.”
Eduardo R. Rodriguez, spare parts manager of Arab Equipment Est. in Dammam, said that government operatives in Philippines should exercise restraint in identifying drug suspects.
“They should have conducted a thorough investigation before arresting Culata,” he said.
What’s worse, he added, Culata was found lifeless after his arrest.
In Riyadh, John Leonard Monterona, a human rights advocate, also called on the Philippine government to spare vacationing OFWs from what it called a “senseless and inhuman extrajudicial killing in the name of the government’s war on illegal drugs.”
“We were shocked and alarmed upon hearing the report about the alleged torture and killing of Culata,” he said.
Manila asked to spare OFWs from extrajudicial killings
Manila asked to spare OFWs from extrajudicial killings
