Death sentence stirs outrage in RP

Death sentence stirs outrage in RP

MANILA (Reuter): A United Arab Emirates court's death sentence on a teenage Filipina maid provoked widespread uproar in the Philippines yesterday and denunciations that the UAE was barbaric.

Shock and anger at the death penalty imposed on 16-year-old Filipina Moslem Sarah Balabagan swept the largely Roman Catholic nation still hurting from the execution by Singapore in March of another Filipina domestic helper.

Calls for retaliation against the UAE drowned out appeals by politicians for calmness.

"If this is not the height of barbarism and a clear miscarriage of justice, we don't know what else to call it," the Friends of Filipino Migrant Workers group said in a statement.