Flor R. Contemplacion (January 1953 - March 17, 1995) was a Filipino domestic worker who was executed in Singapore for murder. Her execution severely strained relations between Singapore and the Philippines and caused many Filipinos to vent their frustration at their own government and the Singaporean government over the helplessness, abuse, and mental stresses that many Filipino overseas workers face around the world.
Circumstances surrounding the execution
On May 4, 1991, a Filipino domestic worker named Delia Maga was found strangled to death in Singapore. The four-year-old child that she was taking care of, Nicholas Huang, was discovered drowned. Although Nicholas's father could not identify a suspect, the police discovered information about Flor Contemplacion through Maga's diary. The police interrogated Contemplacion, who then confessed the crime of murdering Maga and the child. Contemplacion never renounced her confession, and the Filipino embassy in Singapore deemed her confession to be credible. She was then sentenced to death by hanging.
Just before her execution, two Filipino witnesses claimed that Huang's father framed Contemplacion for the murders. They alleged that the father killed Maga in rage after finding his son to have accidentally drowned. The Singaporean court considered and rejected the testimony. The execution went ahead despite Philippines President Fidel Ramos's personal plea to the Singaporean government to stop it.
Aftermath
Although President Ramos seemed initially resigned to the execution, he called Contemplacion a hero. His wife came to receive the coffin at Manila's airport. The President sent a wreath to Contemplacion's funeral and offered financial assistance to Contemplacion's children who were dependent on their mother's income from her work as a domestic worker.
Many Filipinos believed that Contemplacion was innocent, or at least suffering from insanity if she did commit the murders. They blamed the Singaporean government for not being merciful and were resentful that their own government apparently did not do much to stop the execution. The Alex Boncayao Brigade, a Communist terrorist group in the Philippines, threatened to punish Singaporean and Filipino officials. The Catholic Church, which wields considerable influence in the Philippines, condemned the execution.
Regardless if she was innocent or not, Contemplacion became the rallying cry against alleged inhumane, abusive, exploitive working conditions that many Filipino domestic workers and laborers face abroad. A movie called The Flor Contemplacion Story was made in the Philippines to highlight this as well as the harsh punishment Filipino overseas workers face when they totally break down from their jobs. The film won Best Picture in the Cairo Film Festival.
Relations between Singapore and the Philippines chilled for several years after the execution. To counter domestic backlash, President Ramos recalled the Filipino ambassador to Singapore and many bilateral exchanges between both countries were cancelled. The Singaporeans were confused by the outburst in the Philippines over Contemplacion's execution, just as in the previous year they were confused by the American reaction to the caning of Michael Fay. To the Singaporeans, someone in Singapore committing a capital offense had to be punished according to their own laws.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flor_Contemplacion"
guo you guo fa. jia you jia gui.
you came here. you broke our laws. you expect to be treated differently?
why not say bring to US, can argue you were temporarily insane. then get let off innocent.
