Drug trafficking led to the execution of two Filipinos in China in late November despite a fervent effort by the Philippine government to intercede with Beijing, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
The DFA did not reveal the names of the Filipinos but said they were put to death by lethal injection on 24 November, citing the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou.
The DFA had held off an announcement until China issued a confirmation through a so-called formal execution notification.
China has draconian laws against drug trafficking, which it rigorously enforces.
According to its laws, anyone involved in drug-related crimes, regardless of the quantity involved, is convicted and punished to the extent of capital punishment.
The Filipinos were arrested in 2013 and were sentenced to death in 2016.
DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said the DFA had provided legal assistance since they were arrested in 2013 and throughout their criminal trial and various appeals after a Chinese lower court's verdict of their conviction in 2016.
"We offer our most sincere condolences to their families and loved ones. We respect the wishes of their families for privacy, and as such, we are withholding the identities of the two Filipinos," the DFA said.
2 others on death row
Meanwhile, two death penalty cases involving Filipinos are pending final review or appeal.
In 2011, four Filipinos were put to death in separate Chinese cities over drug offenses, despite pleadings from the Philippines.
In 2013, two Filipinos from China traveling to another country were apprehended in Guangdong for carrying methamphetamine with a combined weight of 11.872 kilograms found in their individual luggage hidden in DVD machine players.
They were sentenced to death for drug smuggling in 2016 after a series of court trials. The case was appealed in 2017 before the High People's Court of the Chinese province, which upheld the verdict in 2018.
The DFA said legal assistance was provided to the Filipinos through the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs since the cases were filed ten years ago.
It said the Philippines exhausted all measures to appeal for the commutation of the sentences to life imprisonment, citing humanitarian grounds.
High-level political representations were also made, according to the DFA.
The DFA asserted that the government's appeals "were consistent with the laws and values of our nation, which puts the highest premium on human life."
Respect China's laws
The DFA, however, said it respected China's criminal laws and legal processes in upholding the conviction.
"While we, in the department, are saddened by the execution of the two Filipinos, their death strengthens the government's resolve to continue relentless efforts to rid the country of drug syndicates that prey on the vulnerable, including those seeking better lives for themselves and their families," it said.
The government is helping the families of the executed Filipinos by facilitating their visit on compassionate reasons to Guangzhou through the DFA's Assistance to Nationals fund.
Meanwhile, the DFA advised Filipinos planning to go overseas to be on alert for drug syndicates who use "unwitting travelers as drug mules."
"The illegal drug trade remains a scourge that we as a nation must confront. Drug syndicates claim as their victims not only drug addicts but Filipinos whose socio-economic condition renders them vulnerable to the lure of these criminals," the DFA said.
There are 92 death penalty cases involving Filipinos in China.
Of the total, two cases were commuted to life in prison, 86 had their sentences lowered to fixed terms, and four are pending death penalty cases.
