In exchange for two of its convicted citizens, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) returned 95 Filipino prisoners back to the Philippines, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday.
“We were the ones who made a demand,” said DOJ Undersecretary Markk Perete during an interview over DZXL.
Perete pointed this out after DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra revealed that the administration of President Duterte has pardoned 135 Filipinos and four foreigners including two UAE nationals.
He credited the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in making the prisoner swap deal with the UAE happen.
“May listahan tayo na hiningi, na ito ating hihingin sa prisoner swap (We had a list of demands in the prisoner swap),” he said.
The undersecretary noted that the 95 Filipinos returned to the Philippines in two batches.
The first batch was composed of 45 Filipinos and was followed by 50 Filipinos.
Perete noted that all the 95 Filipinos have been serving prison sentences in the UAE after being convicted for various crimes.