Hope
remains for Joselito Zapanta, the overseas Filipino worker facing execution in
Saudi Arabia, after the governor of Riyadh pledged SR1 million for his blood
money, according to a report posted Wednesday on Saudi news site Arab News.
The pledge
made by Riyadh Governor Prince Khaled bin Bandar was announced by Vice
President Jejomar Binay, the presidential adviser on OFW concerns, the report
said.
“I hope
that this amount and the amount raised by the Philippine government will be
enough to spare Joselito’s life,” Binay said.
But while
OFWs welcomed the development, they are still concerned how to raise the SR3
million still needed to complete needed for the blood money.
"The
only problem now is from where to gather the rest of the SR4 million being
asked by the victim’s family," OFW Congress president Alex Bello said.
Zapanta
was meted the death sentence in Saudi Arabia for killing Imam Ibrahim, a
Sudanese national, over a rental dispute in 2009.
Ibrahim’s
family initially demanded SR5 million, but agreed to lower the amount to SR4
million.
While the
deadline for paying the blood money was originally set Nov. 12, 2012, it was
extended several times. Most recently, the deadline was extended by one month.
President
Benigno Aquino III has already given a “substantial” amount to augment
Zapanta’s blood money, but still does not reach the P40 million being demanded
by the victim’s family, Binay had earlier said. — KBK, GMA News
Source: gmanetwork.com/news
Source: gmanetwork.com/news
