Singapore-OFW deja vu!

Eto na naman sa Pilipinas at Singapore

Will Overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Guen Garlejo Aguilar go the horrible way Flor Contemplacion went, thanks to both the Singapore and Philippine governments?

Aguilar is the sole suspect in the body parts murder of fellow Pinoy Jane Parangan La Puebla in Singapore.

Migrante has said that Aguilar must be given due process under internationally-accepted standards on the rights of the accused. The Singapore government cannot just declare that Aguilar ‘faces a mandatory penalty of death by hanging if found guilty of murdering Jane Parangan La Puebla' when no investigations have been completed and no fair public trials are conducted,”
Migrante listed down what Aguilar is entitled to:
1. The right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a fair public trial.
2. The right to counsel. In a criminal case, the accused has a right to a competent lawyer.
3. The accused have the right to confer with their attorney before a police interrogation, during the trial and at any other critical stage in the proceedings against them, such as a preliminary hearing, lineup or appeal.
3. The right against self-incrimination. The burden of proof in a criminal case is on the prosecution. The accused do not have to supply the police or prosecution with any evidence that could be used against them. This right against self-incrimination protects the defendant from being forced to reveal incriminating facts. This deters the use of torture or other means to coerce confessions from the accused.
4. The right to a speedy and public trial, with an impartial jury or judge, in the area where the crime was committed. At the same time, the accused must have enough time to prepare her defence.
5. The right to present a defence. This includes the ability to present facts and evidence, to cross examine prosecution witnesses during the trial and to compel the attendance of witnesses to testify for the defence. It also includes the ability to have independent expert witnesses.
6. The right to an appeal if the procedural rights and due process of the accused were not respected.

But with the 1995 Flor Contemplacion case as benchmark and the archaic Singapore justice system, Aguilar needs all the help she can get.  Aguilar, a mother of two, was remanded in the city-state’s central police lockup for a week WITHOUT ACCESS to counsel, so that ‘the prosecution could carry out further investigations.’ This has the makings of an injustice to Aguilar and to other distressed OFWs. The Philippine government must also prepare the best legal defense to ensure that Aguilar will not be hanged.

Singapore is one of the few countries that retain the death penalty. It has also refused to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. 

The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs has not categorically stated that it is out to ensure that Aguilar will not die at the gallows in Singapore.

BY the way, Aguilar is from Barangay (village) Baracbac,Tagudin, Ilocos Sur and La Puebla is from Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya both in the Northen Luzon region of the Philippines.

S.R. Nathan, Singapore Head of State, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong  and fake Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo do not want another Flor Contemplacion fiasco. If that happens, both the Singapore and Philippine governments will be accountable. #