MANILA, Philippines — The family of a Filipino worker scheduled to be executed in Kuwait on Thursday is appealing to President Rodrigo Duterte to make a last-ditch attempt to save her life.
Lieutenant Colonel Gary Pawa said his sister Jakatia, who worked as a domestic helper, told him of her scheduled execution in a phone call early Wednesday.
“Nag-usap kami kanina at nagpaalam na siya, ang sabi niya bukas bibitayin na siya, tatlo raw sila (We spoke earlier and she was saying goodbye, she said she would be executed tomorrow, there are three of them),” he told InterAksyon in a phone interview.
Pawa said his 42-year-old sister was crying on the phone.
“Nagulat ako pagtawag niya ngayon nu’ng sabihin niya na bibitayin na siya bukas (I was surprised when she called up today to say she would be executed tomorrow),” he said, recalling that when he visited his sister two months ago, her lawyer spoke to him of positive developments that might pave the way for her freedom this year.
On January 19, 2010, the Court of Cassation (Kuwait’s Supreme Court) affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals sentencing Jakatia to death for killing the 22-year-old daughter of her Kuwaiti employer in 2007.
However, Pawa maintained his sister is innocent.
image source : Migrante
“Ang apela namin ay sana makiusap naman si Pangulong Duterte sa Kuwait para maligtas ang buhay ng kapatid ko (We appeal to President Duterte to talk to Kuwait to save the life of my sister),” he said.
The Philippine government has hired lawyers to represent Jakatia and has also sought the assistance of the King of Spain, who is a friend of the Amir of Kuwait, to convince him to commute the sentence for humanitarian reasons.
Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also wrote the Amir to spare Jakatia’s life.
The Story :
Jakatia Pawa was sentenced to death on April 13, 2008 for allegedly killing the 22-year old daughter of her employer. The death sentence was upheld by the Kuwaiti Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) on January 19, 2010. The sentence will now be submitted to Kuwait’s Head of State, the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah. It is understood that the decision will be made within two to four weeks.
Jakatia Pawa, 33 years old and a mother of two children, is from Zamboanga Del Norte province in southern Philippines. Pawa left the Philippines to earn an honest living as a domestic helper in Kuwait. She has been working for the same employer for five years when the unfortunate crime happened.
Sources : Migrante | INTERAKSYON
