6 Pinoys face death in Saudi

Six Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia are now facing the death penalty for the murder of a laundryman two years ago.

The six, identified as Alexander Hugo, Wilfredo Bautista, Antonio Alvesa, Jarren Khalid Praxidio, George Aldana and Miguel Fernandez Jr., were tagged for the killing of Jaime de la Cruz on Jan. 6, 1999.

They were also accused of robbing De la Cruz of 270,000 Saudi riyals (about P3.45 million) which he won in an illegal lottery a day before his death.

In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Kadatuan Usop, the Philippines’ consul general in Jeddah, said the six may be beheaded soon if De la Cruz’s widow does not issue a statement pardoning them.
Usop said that with the gravity of the offense, "it is extremely necessary to secure the widow’s approval of a death compensation to save the six from capital punishment."

De la Cruz’s wife Eva, who lives in the Philippines, has reportedly sought P1 million IN "blood money" from each of the six accused before she would write Saudi authorities to express her forgiveness.

Lawyer Raul Dado, of the Office of Legal Assistant for Migrant Workers Affairs, said Eva seems hellbent in seeking compensation for the death of her husband.

Usop said that without a letter of forgiveness, the six would definitely be executed.

"It is very crucial at this stage for the widow to pardon the accused and mitigate the penalty. Otherwise, the strict Islamic law will take its course," he said.

Usop is appealing to the victim’s wife to consider the fact that the main witness in her husband’s killing — a certain Russel Catibog — had already retracted his statement linking the six to the crime.

Catibog, who works in the same place as the victim, said he never witnessed the killing and that he was only forced by Saudi policemen to testify against his fellow Filipinos.

"I am a God-fearing man who just wants to live a normal and happy life free from any bad insinuations or circumstances. God knows I did not see or hear anything that would link the six suspects (to the murder)," he said.

Catibog added that he never personally knew the six accused. He recalled that he was physically and mentally tortured by Saudi policemen into signing a statement with Arabic contents.

De la Cruz was working as a laundryman for the Al Hada Armed Forces Hospital in Taif, Saudi Arabia when he was killed. He had just won the jackpot in an underground lottery and his body bore no signs of struggle when it was found. Records showed that he was even well-dressed and sitting on a chair when his body was discovered.

The police said De la Cruz died of multiple stab wounds. They never found the weapon used in his murder but recovered a portion of his prize money inside his room.

Forty Filipino workers were initially rounded up and investigated for De la Cruz’s death. Eventually, only the six were indicted.