President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has thanked United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for pardoning three convicted Filipinos, two of whom were on death row, already serving their sentences in the emirate state.
In a telephone call to Sheikh Mohamed, President Marcos expressed gratitude for the grant of the request he made two months ago.
In two separate letters last April 27, President Marcos requested Sheikh Mohamed to grant the three Filipino prisoners humanitarian pardon.
Of the three prisoners, two were sentenced to death for drug trafficking while the other one was handed down a 15-year sentence for slander.
President Marcos also thanked Sheikh Mohamed for extending assistance to displaced families by the Mayon Volcano eruption. The UAE has sent 50 tons of food supplies and medicine to Mayon evacuees.
For his part, Sheikh Mohamed noted the valuable contribution of some 600,000 Filipinos working in the UAE.
Sheikh Mohamed also reiterated his invitation to President Marcos to attend the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai in December.