PH renews appeal to save Filipino from Saudi death row
-A A +ATuesday, March 12, 2013
MANILA -- Vice President Jejomar Binay said the Philippine government is doing its best to push back the deadline for the blood money payment of overseas worker Joselito Zapanta.
The deadline ends Tuesday as embassy officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have made appeals to authorities there and the family of the Sudanese national who was killed by Zapanta in 2009.
"Our embassy has been working hard to find a way to extend the deadline of paying the blood money or further reduce the amount being sought by the family," said Binay on Monday.
Zapanta, a native of Bacolor, Pampanga, was given a reprieve of four months in November last year to raise the blood money. The victim's family also agreed to receive P44 million from P55 million after meeting with Saudi officials in Riyadh.
So far, the government has raised P10 million for Zapanta's release. His family is currently in Saudi Arabia to personally monitor developments of the appeal. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)
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