RP asks leniency for jailed Filipinos

RP asks leniency for jailed Filipinos

DUBAI (Reuter): The Philippines has appealed to Saudi Arabia for clemency in the cases of 193 Filipino workers jailed in the kingdom, the Philippines ambassador in Riyadh said yesterday.

Ambassador Romulo Espaldon said the appeal came in a letter from Philippines Vice-President Joseph Estrada to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, which he delivered on Sunday.

"The vice-president had a letter for the crown prince requesting clemency for 193 Filipinos who are in jail. I was given permission to deliver the letter the day before yesterday," he said.

He said there were no Filipinos on death row in Saudi Arabia, but added that "about 16 are awaiting a decision (on whether they will be sentenced to death) in cases which have not been finalized".

There are about four million Filipinos working overseas, many of them in the Gulf. Around half a million Filipinos work in Saudi Arabia alone.