RP-China agreement to address cases of arrested Pinoy drug mules

MANILA, Philippines - Under the recently signed Philippines-China Consular Agreement (PCCA), the Philippine Embassy in China may assist Filipinos arrested or detained for carrying illegal drugs. But Beijing said it will not be lenient on Filipino offenders despite having the agreement.

“We have specific roles regarding the judgment and the sentence of drug traffickers. The Chinese law on criminals is a very comprehensive one and also takes into consideration the humanitarian needs of the criminals but that is all done in accordance with the law,” said Chinese Ambassador to Manila Liu Jianchao in a forum.

“In the definition of such a crime, I think we share a common ground that drug trafficking is a crime but different countries may have different laws in the punishment of such criminals that engaged in drug trafficking so I think it depends on where the crime takes place,” he added.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo signed the Philippines-China Joint Action Plan for Strategic Cooperation (JAP) and the Philippines-China Consular Agreement on Thursday. President Arroyo witnessed the ceremonial signing in Malacañang.

PCCA is the first consular agreement that the Philippines has negotiated. It addresses long-standing concerns of the Philippine embassy and consulates general in China regarding assistance to nationals (ATN) services, such as notification of arrests and detention of Filipino nationals, repatriation and settlement of disputes.

China has been battling drug trafficking for years and is known for punishing offenders harshly. Trafficking of 50 grams or more of illegal drugs may be punishable by 15 years in prison, life imprisonment, or death by firing squad.

Liu said the death sentence might be reduced to life if the person shows good behavior in prison during the two years probation.

Liu said Chinese citizens and foreigners arrested for drug trafficking are treated according to the law.

“Both Secretary Romulo and Minister Yang reached a consensus we’ll join hands in fighting against drug trafficking which is a social evil to harm both our people. And another thing we have to do (is) … we have to deal with it in accordance with the law and we’d like to have cooperation from each other side for the proper settlement of this issue,” Liu said.

Vice President and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Noli de Castro said 22 Filipinos in China had been sentenced to death between 2007 and 2008 for being “drug couriers.” Twelve others were meted a life sentence, while 11 were sentenced to 15 to 16 years imprisonment. One died upon arrival in Guangzhou after being poisoned by drugs he swallowed.

As of June this year, 158, mostly women, were arrested for drug trafficking in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Sixteen of them were arrested in a span of two months, an “alarming” rate according to the Philippine embassy in Beijing. This shows that drug syndicates continue to recruit Filipinos.

De Castro warned Filipinos in China not to accept any parcel or bag from people they do not know in exchange for money.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said drug syndicates with wide network operations in various parts of Asia continue to use Filipinos as “drug couriers” to smuggle narcotics into mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.