VP NOLI
REITERATES APPEAL TO KUWAIT FOR CONVICTED
OFW:
SPARE LIFE OF OFW FACING EXECUTION
01 May 2006
Vice President
Noli ‘Kabayan’ De Castro reiterated the Philippine
government’s plea to Kuwait
to spare the life of overseas Filipino worker Marilou Ranario from
execution.
VP
NOLI WITH KUWAIT’S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. Vice
President Noli "Kabayan" De Castro relays to the members of
the National Assembly of the State of Kuwait headed by Hon. Abdul
Wahed AL-AWADI (third from left) the Philippine diplomatic request
for clemency for OFW Marilou Ranario, who was sentenced to death by
hanging for the killing of her Kuwaiti employer. The members of
Kuwaiti Parliament paid the Vice President a courtesy visit last
month and also discussed the strengthening of the Philippine-Kuwait
relations. Also present from left are: Yosuf AL-TANEEB, Charge d'
Affaires, Embassy of Kuwait; Hon. Ahmed Abdulmuhsen AL-MOLAYFI, (MP);
AL-AWADI ; VP ; Antonio de Guzman, Jr. Deputy Director General,
Senate Int"l. Relation, and Maya Barsan , Senate Int"l.
Relation Service. (OVP photo by Egay Montana) 5/1/06
De Castro, who is also the presidential adviser for OFWs,
recently made the diplomatic request during a courtesy visit of the
National
Assembly of the State of Kuwait headed by Hon. Abdul Wahed AL-AWADI.
De Castro took the opportunity to remind the Kuwaiti government,
through its visiting Parliament members, of its commitment to work for
the
non-imposition of the death penalty and if possible to grant clemency
to OFW
Marilou Ranario.
Earlier, the Vice President personally met with the Emir in Kuwait to intercede for Ranario, a 33
year-old teacher
who went to work as a domestic helper in Kuwait and who was
sentenced to
death by hanging last September 28, 2005 for the killing of her Kuwaiti
employer.
The Ranario case is still pending before the Kuwaiti appellate court.
The present administration is against the death penalty with
the recent declaration of President Arroyo of the commutation of
sentences to
1200 death row inmates.
VP
NOLI REITERATES APPEAL TO KUWAIT. Vice President Noli
"Kabayan" De Castro welcomes Hon. Abdul Wahed AL-AWADI,
head of the National Assembly of the State of Kuwait. During the
courtesy visit of the members of the Kuwaiti Parliament, De Castro
reiterated the Philippine government’s plea to Kuwait to spare the
life of overseas Filipino worker Marilou Ranario from execution whose
case is now pending before the Kuwaiti appellate court. (OVP photo by
Egay Montana) 5/1/06
“I think it is worth making a plea again with the Kuwaiti
government, as we are hopeful that they will make a favorable decision
on
Ranario’s case considering the discovery of additional pieces of
evidence favorable to her defense,” De Castro said.
Last March, De Castro flew to Kuwait, together with a
high level
delegation composed of Ambassador Amable Aguiluz, Chief State
Prosecutor
Jovencito Zuño, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos
and OWWA Deputy
Administrator Angelo Jimenez, and met with the newly-installed Emir of
Kuwait
to appeal the case of Ranario.
For his part, the new Emir Sheik Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah briefly explained to Vice President De Castro the Kuwaiti
justice
system and gave his much welcomed
assurance.
“I just hope the Kuwaiti government will hear our just and
humane appeal,” De Castro said.