Vice President Jejomar C. Binay on Monday said that the Technical Working Group (TWG) formed to study the government’s policy on “blood money” will be finalizing its recommendations to President Benigno Aquino III.
The TWG has already met to discuss the criteria for determining when to give “blood money,” as well as the criteria to be considered in determining the amount of blood money to give.
Blood money, or “diyya”, is the compensation in Islamic law given to the family or next of kin of crime victims to mitigate a death sentence.
The main TWG headed by the Vice President will meet in two weeks to finalize the recommendations for submission to the president.
Binay heads the TWG as Presidential Adviser on OFW Affairs.
“We want the recommendation to undergo a thorough review and discussion process. We want to make sure that all concerns are addressed before we make our recommendation to the President,” the Vice President said.
The blood money committee is chaired by the Vice President and includes the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Labor and Employment as members. The Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) serves as the TWG Secretariat.
