Russia frees 24 Filipinos after Marcos speaks with Putin

Russia has freed 24 Filipinos who have been detained for months without charges in a Siberian city, after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr raised concerns about them in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Philippine officials said on Saturday.The 24 were scheduled to arrive in Manila on two flights early on Sunday, with the first batch to be welcomed by Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who accompanied Marcos in his talks with Putin on Wednesday in the Russian city of Kazan, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said.Marcos, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, led leaders of the 11-nation bloc in commemorating the 35th anniversary of Asean’s diplomatic relations with Russia. Marcos held a bilateral meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the summit in Kazan.The release of the Filipinos was relatively swift after Marcos raised his concern on Wednesday. The Philippines is a key treaty ally of the United States in Asia and was among the majority of Asean members that voted for a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Singapore was the only Asean member to impose sanctions on Russia. Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong joined the Kazan summit.Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold talks on the sidelines of the Russia-Asean summit in Kazan on Wednesday. Photo: Sputnik via APAfter his bilateral meeting with Putin, Marcos told reporters that he raised concerns over the Filipinos who have been detained for about nine months in the city of Irkutsk in southeastern Siberia without charges. He said the Philippines has no other information about their condition.