By Michaela del Callar
MANILA, July 31 (PNA) — Two Filipinos who have been imprisoned in Oman for criminal offenses were given royal pardon at the end of Ramadan last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
They were among several other jailed Filipinos in other Middle East states who were given royal pardon, which is normally done during or after the observance of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
“The Sultanate of Oman informed the Philippine Embassy in Muscat that Sultan Qaboos bin Said has issued a royal pardon to a number of prisoners convicted of different cases in commemoration of Eid Al Fitr Al Mubarak in July 23, including two overseas Filipino workers who were convicted and imprisoned for criminal offenses,” an embassy report to the DFA said.
Philippine Ambassador to Oman Narciso Castañeda said the clemency on the Filipinos is a testament to the “continued and untiring effort” of the embassy to address the issues of distressed Philippine workers in Muscat.
“The grant of the pardon to the convicted OFWs also shows the strong cooperation that the government of the Philippines, through the Philippine Embassy in Muscat, maintains with the Sultanate,” Castañeda said.
He said the embassy is coordinating with Omani authorities for the early repatriation of the pardoned workers. (PNA)