MANILA, Philippines — Senator Imee Marcos has called on her fellow senators to ratify a treaty between the Philippines and Canada that would allow Filipino prisoners in Canada to serve their sentences in the Philippines.
The “Treaty Between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of Canada on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and on Cooperation in the Enforcement of Penal Sentences” was signed on May 22, 2003, and approved by President Marcos Jr. on January 24, 2023.
The treaty outlines the conditions and process for transferring a person sentenced in one country to their home country to serve their sentence.
“Sa gitna ng lahat ng pagkakasala at pagsubok, huwag natin kalimutan na may pagkakataon pa ang bawat nilalang na magbalik-loob at magkaroon ng bagong buhay. Maraming kababayan natin ang nakakulong sa ibang bansa, malayo sa kanilang pamilya at mga mahal sa buhay,” Marcos said.
Under the treaty, a person can be transferred if their crime would be considered an offense under the law of the receiving country or if it would be a crime if committed there.
Marcos said that reintegrating former convicts into society is often overlooked, saying that it would be hard for a Filipino to reintegrate into society if they are deported back to the Philippines after serving a sentence abroad without any support system.
The lawmaker, however, did not disclose the number of imprisoned Filipinos in Canada.
“While we cannot prescribe how or for how long other countries should punish Filipinos who break their laws, we can at least forge agreements that will give our countrymen imprisoned abroad a better chance of rehabilitation and reintegration back to society, back home here in the Philippines,” Marcos said.
