The Arroyo Family in the House of Representative has sought the repatriation Filipinos convicted of crimes and offenses abroad.

Former president now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga), and her sons Reps. Juan Miguel Arroyo (Ang Galing Pinoy) and Diosdado Arroyo (Camarines Sur) filed House Bill No. 2703 which aims to authorize the transfer of sentenced persons to and from foreign countries.

The erstwhile First Family members also proposed to negotiate terms of treaties, which would allow Filipinos convicted in Asian countries to serve their sentences in the Philippine penal institution.

“As these treaties are not self-executory and will require the enactment of a domestic law that will provide the procedure and mechanism for its implementation, this is the urgency in filing this bill,” the Arroyos added.

In their explanatory note, the Arroyo lawmakers said that Hong Kong and Thai governments have already agreed with the arrangement after talking with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Justice (DoJ).

Should their proposed measure be enacted into a law, the treaty would also provide reciprocal rights of repatriation for Hong Kong and Thai citizens convicted by Philippines courts.

The bill states that a convicted person to and from foreign country would still serve his sentence under the same condition in prison “as if he had committed that to the custody of said penal institution by a Philippine court and for the period of time which remains to be served under his sentence imposed by the transferring country.”