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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'It's their law': Dela Rosa on China's execution of 2 Filipinos for drug trafficking

'It's their law': Dela Rosa on China's execution of 2 Filipinos for drug trafficking

Published Dec 3, 2023 10:52 am

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Sunday, December 3 expressed his sadness on the death of two Filipino nationals who were executed in China on Nov. 24, 2023 for drug trafficking offenses. 

 

But Dela Rosa, who was the chief implementer of the previous Duterte administration’s bloody campaign against illegal drugs, said that while he is disappointed at the development, he respects the prevailing law observed by the Peoples’ Republic of China. 

 

“I am saddened by the death via execution of our two compatriots. The Chinese law that punishes death maybe harsh, but it is their law,” he said. 

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday, December 2, confirmed the execution of the two Filipinos, who were arrested in 2013 and eventually convicted in 2016, but did not diclose their names out of respect for their privacy. 

 

“We offer our most sincere condolences to their families and loved ones. We respect the wishes of their families for privacy, and as such are withholding the identities of the two Filipinos. The Department, likewise, deferred from immediately announcing this sad development pending receipt from the Chinese side of the formal notification of their execution,” the DFA stated.

 

The DFA also said the government exhausted all efforts, including high-level political representations, to appeal to relevant authorities to commute their sentences to life imprisonment on humanitarian grounds. 

 

“Our repeated appeals were consistent with the laws and values of our nation, which put the highest premium on human life,” the agency also stated.

 

“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,” the DFA said.

Related Tags

drug trafficking Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) China Bato dela Rosa
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