Filipina maid accused of murder executed in Kuwait

A Filipina maid accused of murdering the daughter of her employer was executed on Wednesday morning in Kuwait, reports reaching the Philippines said.

Jakatia Pawa, 44, was executed at 10:19 Kuwait time, consul Charles Jose, spokesperson of the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in Manila.

“It is with sadness that we announced the execution of Jakatia Pawa,” Jose said.

Citing court records, Jose said Pawa was sentenced to death in April 13, 2008 after the courts found her guilty of killing the the 22-year-old daughter of her employer, Dala Al Naqi, on May 14, 2007.

Al Naqi was found dead in front of her house on May 4, 2007, with the Filipina nearby, according to Kuwaiti police

Kuwaiti authorities concluded that it was Pawa who had killed her employer’s daughter.

The Philippine government had undertaken persistent efforts to save Pawa from execution.

The presidential palace in Manila also expressed sadness over the sentence carried out on Pawa. “It is with sadness that we confirm the execution of Jakatia Pawa this afternoon,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a press statement.

Abella said the Philippine government, through the DFA, had made the utmost effort to extend to Pawa all assistance necessary to ensure her legal rights were respected and all legal procedures were followed.

“Government likewise exerted all efforts to preserve her life, including diplomatic means and appeals for compassion. Execution, however, could no longer be forestalled under Kuwaiti laws,” he explained.

In 2010, then president Gloria Arroyo had sent vice-president Noli de Castro, her appointed deputy for overseas Filipino worker concerns, in a bid to secure a pardon for Pawa.

The Philippine government even hired the services of a lawyer to defend Pawa.

A native of Zamboanga Sibugay, Pawa has two children, aged 18 and 16.

At 5 am on Wednesday, Pawa called her brother, air force Lt. Col. Gary Pawa.

She informed him about her execution date and asked her brother to look after her two children. Lt. Col. Pawa, had earlier issued an appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte for help in obtaining a stay of execution from the Kuwait government.

Senator Cynthia Villar, the author of Senate Bill 146 seeking the creation of the Department of Migration and Development, had earlier called on the DFA to exhaust all diplomatic initiatives to save the Filipina migrant worker.

“She has professed innocence since the day she was arrested in 2007 and has not changed her statement until now. The DNA found on the murder weapon did not match Jakatia’s DNA, and there was no motive involved since Jakatia has been faithfully and peacefully serving her Kuwaiti employer for five years prior to her arrest,” Villar said.

The senator also asked the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) to extend assistance to the Pawa family.

“Jakatia was a former OWWA member until she was arrested and put behind bars. On humanitarian grounds, OWWA can help the Pawa family during this difficult time,” Villar said.

Villar said Jakatia’s case further justifies the need to create a dedicated department that will look after the affairs of 12 million Filipinos overseas.

source : gulfnews