143 Filipinos pardoned in UAE, says Marcos

MANILA, Philippines —  The United Arab Emirates government has pardoned 143 Filipinos who committed “relatively minor offenses,” according to Philippine officials.

President Marcos yesterday said he thanked UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the kindness extended to Filipinos, during a phone conversation on Monday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) clarified that the pardon was “not for major offenses like death penalty cases, but for relatively minor offenses.”

The Filipinos were pardoned in June, during the Eid’l Adha celebration, the DFA noted. The Philippines was formally informed by the UAE embassy in August.

Marcos also expressed gratitude to the UAE for humanitarian aid amid recent typhoons and floods.

Filipinos are the third-largest expatriate group in the UAE after Indians and Pakistanis, according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2021, 575,622 Filipinos were given residence visas, while 462,632 received short-term or tourist visas.

Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva also thanked Al Nahyan for pardoning 143 Filipinos.

“We advocate to provide the best legal support to our kababayans who are facing cases abroad. In addition to the Aksyon Fund, we must establish a more expansive system for the use of the Legal Assistance Fund,” Villanueva said, noting that they filed Senate Bill 1448 to broaden the legal fund’s coverage.

Filipinos in Lebanon have been urged by the Philippine embassy in Beirut to avail of the voluntary repatriation program amid the worsening security situation in the country.

On Oct. 12, 37 Filipinos, comprising 20 adults and 17 children boarded a flight chartered by the Canadian government at the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.

Ambassador Henry Bensurto and Consul General Shirlene Mananquil met the repatriated Filipinos in Istanbul, Turkey, who were set to arrive in Manila on Monday. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Pia Lee-Brago