Qatar emir grants clemency to 10 Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines —  Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani extended clemency to 10 Filipinos incarcerated abroad.

Citing the Philippine Embassy in Doha, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Qatar's ruler pardoned the detained overseas Filipino workers on the occasion of the Qatar National Day on December 18.

"Those granted clemency are often those who have already served a substantial portion of their sentences," the DFA said in a statement.

The emir grants clemency to prisoners twice a year, the other during the holy month of Ramadan.

The DFA, however, did not identify the names of the 10 OFWs, who are now undergoing the process of repatriation.

An official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), meanwhile, welcomed Qatar's grant of clemency, calling it a "charitable" act.

Bishop Ruperto Santos, chair of the CBCP's commission on migrants, advised overseas Filipinos to respect laws of their host country.

"From the pardon of Qatar we have lessons to be learned: gratitude be shown by more dedication to works and being more disciplined to the laws and customs of those countries," he said.

Santos also urged the Philippine government to be more compassionate toward OFWs by promoting their rights and alleviating their burden.