President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the send off Thursday for the family of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) detained in Bahrain after they were given the opportunity to have a compassionate visit.

President Duterte met the family of Roderick Aguinaldo in Villamor Air Base before flying to Leyte for an official engagement.

Aguinaldo is currently in a Bahrain prison for killing a Pakistani national.

Aguinaldo’s parents, wife, and two daughters will fly to Bahrain on Saturday after the Bahraini government allowed them to conduct the visit. He has been in detention for three years.

On Wednesday, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Special Envoy to the Gulf Cooperation Council Amable Aguiluz V extended financial assistance to Aguinaldo’s family. His three children also received scholarships from Aguiluz.

Aguinaldo’s family first sought the help of Senator Go in 2018, when he was still Special Assistant to the President. After consulting the matter with President Duterte, the latter appealed to the Bahraini king to commute Aguinaldo’s sentence. The Bahraini government vowed not to carry out capital punishment.

Also present Thursday were Ambassador Aguiluz, Senator Go, Chief of the Presidential Protocol Robert Borje, and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola. PND