Hon. Alberto Del Rosario
Secretary, DFA
Pasay

Dear Sir,

I would like to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs for the help that has been extended to me.

Right now, I am in dire need of your assistance and would like to request you, Sir, to hire a lawyer who can religiously and regularly follow up on my case.

It has been a month since my case has been closed and I was informed that I will be released within a month. It has been a long 13 years, Sir. I have not seen my family for more than a decade. Ramadan is fast approaching and it would be another month if I will not be released before then.

I was informed that Sheikh Osama Al-Tayyar is the Judge assigned to my case, and it has come to my knowledge that he is currently on leave. I am worried that he would be on leave til after Ramadan. This concerns me a great deal and is causing me extreme anxiety, because if he will always be on leave then my case would be pending and my release will be put on hold for longer than it should. I am also aware that there are currently so many issues that demands the embassy’s attention. Unfortunately because of this, my case officer Jerome Friaz can not focus and dedicate his time in following up on my case.

Sir, this is my final lap in my race to freedom. I have been locked up for more than a decade, please understand my position and empathize with me. My case has been pending for 13 years, away from family and away from home. Many times I feel very much alone in terms of working on my case. I may be offensive to many in the DFA but if you only knew the inner battle I face and go through everyday, you would understand me better.

I plead with you to do everything you can to hasten my release. I am a Filipino and an ordinary human being, just hoping to go home and be reconciled with my family at the soonest possible time.

I am hoping for a favorable response from you.

Thank you and God bless.

Respectfully Yours,

Dondon Lanuza
OFW on Deathrow
since August 2000

Life is the most important and sacred human right. The human blood is impermissible and nobody dares shed it. He who endangers the life of one person is considered to be endangering all mankind.

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