A Filipino convict in Saudi Arabia is set to return home after escaping death twice and despite receiving an invitation from Saudi authorities to stay there, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.
Dante Altizo, a worker from Jeddah, was saved from his death sentence in 2013 after anonymous donors funded his blood money worth SR400,000 or P4.8 million.
While waiting for his release, Altizo contracted tuberculosis and pneumonia, and only through the help of a fellow Filipino that he was given medical care and allowed to contact the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, the DFA said in a news release.
Altizo, who is set to return to the country on July 24, was sentenced to death more than six years ago by a Saudi court for stabbing his Filipino roommate at their company's lodgings in Al-Bahah, a region 400 kilometers away from Jeddah.
He was given a choice to remain in the country after he converted to Islam during his stay in prison.
Legal assistance was provided to him through the DFA's Legal Assistance Fund.
In 2013, Filipino worker Dondon Lanuza was saved from death row through the combined efforts of anonymous donors and both the Philippine and Saudi governments. He was jailed for 13 years for killing his employer in an act he described as self-defense.
However, fellow OFW Joselito Zapanta is still on death row after his family and the Philippine government failed to reach the amount needed for his blood money. He was sentenced to death for killing a Sudanese national in 2009 over a rental dispute. - GMA
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