The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) declared on Friday that the custom of paying “blood money” is not relevant in the instance of deceased overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jullebee Ranara.
In a “24 Oras” article by Ivan Mayrina, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega revealed why the 17-year-old suspect received less severe punishment for the heinous crime.
The suspect was found guilty by the Kuwait Juvenile Court and given a 15-year prison term for killing Ranara as well as an additional year in prison for driving without a licence.
“From the beginning, hindi naman talaga pwedeng full life imprisonment o what dahil nga sa pagiging menor de edad ng akusado. Ganunpaman, hindi naabswelto, hindi nagkaroon ng whitewash at napakabilis ng paghatol sa kanya,” said de Vega.
De Vega added that because the accused was not handed the death penalty by the court, his family cannot utilise blood money to buy forgiveness or a lighter sentence.
“Di applicable ang blood money pero dapat may moral damages o restitutionary damages. ‘Yun makukulong siya. Kahit anong bigay nilang damages, nakakulong pa rin siya,” he added.
The camp of the suspect has 30 days to file an appeal with the Court of First Instance.
After reportedly being abused by her employer’s 17-year-old son, the 35-year-old OFW’s charred body was discovered in the desert in January. Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the minister of foreign affairs for Kuwait, promised in January that the murderer of Ranara will be held accountable for the crime.
