Radyo Pilipinas photo courtesy
The lives of 56 Filipinos currently on death row in Malaysia hang in the balance as the Philippines-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) is set to convene in October in Manila.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. himself has expressed that during the JCM, the Philippine government will prioritize discussing the potential repatriation of these prisoners, allowing them to serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country.
During a roundtable briefing with the media in Kuala Lumpur, as his three-day state visit to Malaysia came to a close, President Marcos emphasized the significance of this upcoming JCM, which has not been convened for some time.
He mentioned that the issue of transferring Filipinos back to the Philippines is being actively addressed by the Kuala Lumpur Embassy, and he is optimistic about the cooperative working relationship between the two nations on this matter.
The repatriation of Filipinos currently held in Malaysian jails was brought up by the President in his recent face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the offenses committed by these inmates vary, with 30 convicted of murder, 18 of drug trafficking, and the remaining eight imprisoned for waging a war against the King of Malaysia during the 2013 Lahad Datu siege. (ai/mnm)
