source: gmanews
JONES, Isabela- Twelve-year-old Princess May Joy Ordinario Villanueva has mixed feelings about being the salutatorian of their grade school graduating class.
While she is happy to receive the award, she feels sad that she couldn't share it with her mother, convicted drug courier Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, who is scheduled to be executed on March 30 through lethal injection in China.
If her mother's execution pushes through, Princess may be grieving during their commencement exercises on April 9 at the Tubar Elementary School in Isabela.
“I offer my medal as salutatorian to my mother and my father. They are the ones who gave me strength to finish elementary studies," Princess said in an interview with GMA News Online.
Princess said she hopes to become a lawyer someday “to defend the poor and the oppressed."
3 Pinoys on death row
Three Filipinos — Villanueva, 32; Elizabeth Batain, 38, and Ramon Credo, 42 — were originally scheduled to be executed on February 20 and 21 this year.
The executions were put on hold after Binay's humanitarian visit to Beijing in February this year.
The Supreme People’s Court of China affirmed the death sentences of the three Filipinos on February 11 and Binay went to Beijing upon orders from President Benigno Aquino III on February 18.
On MArch 23, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Eduardo Malaya said, “The Fujian People’s Court and Guangdong High People’s Court have informed the Philippine consulates general in Xiamen and Guangzhou on the date of the carrying out of the death penalty in three Filipino nationals."
“The death penalty will be carried out on March 30," Malaya said.
Remembering her mother
Princess said she hasn't seen her mother since 2008.
“The last time we have seen her was on December 23, 2008, a day before she was
brought by our father to the bus terminal for her travel to China," Princess said.
She admitted that it has been difficult for their family since news of her mother's conviction broke out.
Even though they are just children, she and her 10-year-old brother Lex Bert Villanueva were cast in a bad light.
Their father Hilario is doing his to shield their children from the media.
When asked what she would like to tell her mother who is facing the death chamber, Princess looked up at the sky and then bowed her head. She did not say anything.
When asked if there was a gift she wanted to give to her mother, she answered that it would be to study well.
Too painful
Princess said their relatives have been convincing them to go with them to China to see their mother one last time.
However, Princess said "ayaw namin kasi lalong masakit sa amin." (We didn't want to because it is very painful for us.)
Sally’s sister-in-law Teresita Villanueva-Dumlao, said the children are "emotionally stressed" and family members have been doing their best to comfort them.
To help the children forget the fate of their mother, their relatives decided to put away the photographs of Sally in their house in Gumbauan in Echague town.
“We have been seeing them sad, crying at times. We hope that they will recover
soon," Teresita said.
Teresita said the two children are staying with them while their father works as a bus driver.
A family's prayer
The children's grandmother, Isabel Villanueva, Hilario’s mother, said they have accepted Sally's fate but they keep praying for God's mercy.
In a phone interview, Sally’s brother Jason Ordinario said their hopes are diminishing but they still believe a miracle will save his sister.
“Only God’s hand and the Philippine government’s last-minute intervention anew
will probably help our sister," he added.
Last week, Sally's mother Edith said, "Sana po ay lumambot ang puso nila. Biktima lang po siya at siya ay inosente lang (I hope their hearts soften. My daughter is just a victim and innocent)," said Sally's mother Edith.
Sally's parents urged the Chinese government to have pity on the three convicted Filipinos because they were merely victims of drug syndicates.
source: gmanews
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