Marcos says 143 Filipinos in UAE pardoned, released

THE United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pardoned 143 Filipinos in jail, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said on Tuesday.

The pardon was in line with the Muslim celebration of this year’s Eid al-Adha.

“I expressed my gratitude for the kindness extended to them, particularly their generous pardon of 143 Filipinos, which has brought relief to many families,” Mr. Marcos told UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed by phone, based on a press release from the presidential palace.

Their offenses ranged from drug abuse, theft and immigration-related violations such as absconding and overstaying, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose A. de Vega said in a WhatsApp message, citing the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

There were no death penalty cases, he added.

The pardon came days after a Filipino was executed in Saudi Arabia for murder.

Mr. De Vega said the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi “always appeals for the grant of humanitarian pardon/mercy to Filipinos incarcerated in the UAE for a range of different offenses.”

The embassy usually requests pardons on joyous occasions such as Eid’l Fitr, Eid al-Adha. “As a general rule, some pardoned individuals are allowed to go home on their own if they have valid passports,” he added.

“If they do not have valid passports, the embassy issues travel documents,” he said. “The list provided by the UAE Embassy contains only the names of the pardoned Filipinos and no other details were shared. In fact, the names were written only in Arabic,” he added.

The embassy has no specific information on each case and has tried to translate their names so it could reach out to them, Mr. De Vega said.

“We were formally informed of this by the UAE Embassy last August, and the Philippines appreciates this kind of gesture of our friends from the UAE,” he separately told reporters in a Viber group message.

“This act of compassion and understanding brings immense relief to the families of those pardoned and strengthens the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two nations,” Senate President Pro Tempore Jose Pimentel “Jinggoy” Ejercito, Jr. said in a statement.

The UAE was the second-leading destination of overseas Filipino workers in 2023 in Asia, according to the local statistics agency.

Mr. Marcos also recognized the UAE’s support for the Philippines in recent natural disasters. “Our nation’s share strong bonds, rooted in the values and aspirations of our peoples, and I look forward to strengthening this partnership in the years ahead.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza