A Filipino national was executed in Saudi Arabia on October 5 for the murder of a Saudi citizen, as confirmed by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday. The DFA’s Undersecretary for Migration, Eduardo Jose de Vega, reported that while there was no official notification from the Saudi government regarding the execution, it was confirmed that the sentence had been carried out.
De Vega stated that the Philippine government made every effort to appeal the sentence and even sought a pardon from the Saudi King, but to no avail. “We did all we could: appeal, presidential letter of appeal, trying to get the victim’s family to accept blood money… no go,” he lamented.
Philippine Embassy Chargé d’affaires Rommel Romato revealed that the execution was carried out by the Saudi authorities without prior notification to the embassy or the Filipino national’s family, “in accordance with local procedures.”
“Despite the Philippine government’s best efforts, the local court imposed the penalty in accordance with Saudi Arabia’s judicial processes and applicable laws for the most serious crimes,” Romato said.
The tragic incident has left the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines reeling. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had personally written to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in a last-ditch effort to save the life of the Filipino national, but the victim’s family “repeatedly declined opportunities to discuss blood money compensation.”
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh is now working to resolve nine other death penalty cases involving Filipino nationals in the kingdom, in coordination with the DFA and the Department of Migrant Workers.
The execution underscores ongoing concerns surrounding the treatment of foreign nationals in the Saudi judicial system, particularly as the Philippines continues to navigate complex diplomatic relations with the kingdom.