The Philippines and China have signed a landmark consular agreement to provide Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) better protection, according to Vice President Manuel “Noli” de Castro.

Also presidential adviser on OFWS, De Castro said the Philippines-China Consular Agreement addresses long-standing concerns with regard to the provision of assistance to nationals (ATN) services, such as notification of arrests and detention of Filipino nationals, repatriation and settlement of disputes.

De Castro cited the report of the Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Sonia Brady that as of June of this year, 159 Filipinos “almost all of whom women” have been arrested for drug trafficking in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, an almost 1,000 percent increase compared to the 16 Filipinos arrested in 2007.

Among those arrested in 2007 and 2008, 22 have been imposed the death penalty, 12 were meted a life sentence, while another 11 received a sentence of 15-16 years' imprisonment, and one died upon arrival in Guangzhou for poisoning as a result of the drugs he had swallowed.

The OFWs were allegedly recruited by drug lords to transport cocaine, heroin and other illegal drugs and were arrested in China, which puts convicted drug traffickers to death by firing squad.

In addition, drug lords have reportedly begun hiring pregnant women to ferry drugs because mothers-to-be are not sent to jail in China.

In China, drug trafficking of 50 grams or more of highly dangerous drugs like heroin is punishable by death.

Aside from the consular agreement, the countries also signed the “Philippines-China Joint Action Plan for Strategic Cooperation (JAP)."

JAP maps out the general strategic directions in bilateral cooperation in the next five years.