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Today is March 30, 2026. It has been 15 years since the execution of the three drug mules. Their names are Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Ramon Credo (who was cremated in China shortly after his execution), and Elizabeth Batain (whose face was never revealed, perhaps due to the loved ones requesting more privacy). Contrary to what one might think, the three drug mules weren't a trio. Instead, they were three separate cases that just happened to be scheduled to die on the same day.
They weren't a trio. They had a temporary reprieve when former vice president Jejomar Binay tried to save them.
Villanueva, together with Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain, was scheduled to be executed last month but got a reprieve after Vice President Jejomar Binay traveled to China and personally appealed to Chinese authorities.
BBC News even gave such a short news report, that I felt compelled to copy/paste the whole time as a reference here:
Philippine Vice-President Jejomar Binay said he had received word of the executions on Wednesday from Philippine diplomats.The two women and one man were arrested separately carrying packages containing at least 4kg (8lb) of the drug.They were allowed to see their families before their executions.Elizabeth Batain, 38, was executed at a prison in the southern city of Shenzhen.Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32, and Ramon Credo, 42, were put to death in the port city of Xiamen.They were the first Filipinos to be executed in China for drug trafficking, Philippine officials said.The families of two of the prisoners had sent open letters appealing for clemency, arguing they had been duped by others.But China's foreign ministry said drug trafficking was a serious offence and that justice had been served.
The Philippine Star gives this detail on the quantity of shabu that was brought by the convicts:
MANILA, Philippines - Last March 30, drug mules Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32; Ramon Credo, 42; and Elizabeth Batain, 38, were executed in Xiamen and Shenzhen. Villanueva was convicted for smuggling 4,110 grams of heroin on Dec. 24, 2008. Credo, four days later was likewise convicted for smuggling a slightly bigger amount of heroin. Batain was sentenced to death for smuggling 6,800 grams of heroin on May 24, 2008.
No theatrical remembrances for the three drug mules
Sally's episode in Magpakailanman and no big movie
It should be noticed that Magpakailanman aired an episode about Sally Villanueva in 2017, during the reign of former president Atty. Rodrigo R. Duterte. I watched the episode which had the consultancy of the husband, Hilarion Villanueva. This was different from 1995 when The Flor Contemplacion Story was on the big screen.
The episode never mentioned the names of Ramon or Elizabeth. Given that Sally's husband was there for the interview (he was consulted, after all), Mel Tiangco had to follow the narrative given to her, as part of her job.
I was disappointed that the episode tried to frame Sally's narrative of "I didn't know." to be real. However, Mel warned about not taking jobs that are too good to be true.
Ramon had no interesting story to tell for a big time movie either
Ramon's story felt somewhat boring too. This seems to be the only closest thing I could get looking for "Ramon Credo drug mules" or other similar search terms:
Although their respective families are neighbors in this town, the couple lost communication about three years ago when they separated.“I told him [in the letter] that I have forgiven him already, and I promised him I will raise our child well. I also asked for forgiveness. I am sure it was not all his fault that our marriage failed. I hope all these somehow lightens his burden,” the wife said.The marriage turned sour when Credo was recruited to work abroad for a furniture business.“I sensed it was something illegal because he rarely came home and always kept secrets from me,” the wife said.
Unlike the Flor movie, the wife whose name was never identified, never said, "I know my husband was innocent." It was confirmed that Ramon was cremated according to the execution timeline. The cremation was probably done for privacy reasons. Ramon's body being reduced to ash and placed in an urn, would mean it would be easier to sneak out and prevent possible exploitation from groups like Migrane International.
Ramon was in jail since 2008. The family never revealed all their visits either, due to privacy reasons. There were no "sudden witnesses" or claims of his innocence. For some reason, Ramon's entire identity was a blank out for most of its duration. Ramon had a few photos floating online. Ramon was laid to rest somewhere only people who knew him that well, would've known.
In the case of Elizabeth, her face was blanked out making a movie about her impossible
This is the only glimpse that netizens will ever have of Elizabeth, the most mysterious one:
MANILA, Philippines – The family of one of three Filipino drug mules who was executed in China on March 30 has asked media “to refrain from contacting us during this traumatic time.”
In a statement coursed through the Department of Foreign Affairs, GhingGhing Batain (which I believe is just her nickname, emphasis mine), sister of Elizabeth Batain, said, “This constant harassment is a serious invasion of our privacy.”“We are not celebrities. We are just human beings and you must respect that we need to be left alone as a family to express our grief. This is not helping us to overcome such a tragic loss,” said Batain.Calling her sister a “victim of these circumstances”, Batain said that instead of focusing on her family, media should “use all their energies in informing the public of the modus operandi of the syndicates who are responsible for the cruel use of vulnerable Filipinos as drug couriers.”Batain said that she and her family would want “to move on” and “to let her [Elizabeth] go even if we didn’t gain any justice for her.”“Please convey to all concerned especially to media to focus and to face major problems in our country. We reiterate that we do not allow anybody from the press, radio or any TV network to publish pictures or information relating to my sister’s burial, or any other members of our family,” she said.
This was another path where a big screen movie was avoided. The Batains didn't show Elizabeth face. GhingGhing never told us her real name nor did she show her face in public. They made the right choice not to have Elizabeth's story told on the big screen.
Why I still refuse to believe that the claim that the drug dealers "didn't know"
This is where I have every right to be skeptical. I may be no criminologist nor an ex-convict. However, I gave a thought about the claim that the three drug mules may have been victims of carying what they didn't know. That's what I keep hearing from people, However, if I'm going to do a common sense test, the claim may fall flat.
Here are my reasons why the whole "I didn't know I was carrying drugs" falls flat:
Here are my reasons why the whole "I didn't know I was carrying drugs" falls flat:
- Letting people who don't know what they're carrying narcotics poses a serious risk. To understand it, I thought of the following reaons:
- Going from Point A to Point B requires the person to know what one is carrying. If a Shopee or Lazada delivery man should know what they're bringing, why should a druglord entrust an ignorant person to carry something they don't know what's inside?
- The sensitivity of what's inside also matters. For example, an ignorant carrier might deliver the package to the wrong address, which in turn can easily incriminate the druglord. For example, if the narcotics were brought to House B instead of House Z, House B might call the cops and hand over the shabu.
- As mentioned earlier, the house address is an issue. The blind mule is prone to asking questions. The police might end up discovering that somebody was tricked into carrying certain grams of heroin. Not to mention, it's doubtful that drug mules deliver the drugs into obvious locations. Why would I order for narcotics to my house address where people know I live, if I were a druglord or drug pusher? I would have them delivered in conspicuous locations.
- The ignorant mule may oven the package out of curiosity, which in turn could expose the person who handed over the package, up the druglord to be incriminated by the paper trail. The person might turn over the package to the police station or any authority. At the airport alone, the unknowing mule may turn themselves in and give the number of the recruiter, while proving they were made to carry drugs without knowing it.
- Adding even one kilogram more of weight can be a dead giveaway. There's that "special compartment" in the suitcase. It may contain clothes and other necessities. To think about it, to hide certain kilograms of shabu under clothes or anything heavy, extra weight is added. The airport would weigh the suitcases and pass them through x-ray. The weighing scales are bound to notice something was unusually heavy.
Basically, doing an adult common sense test can help one figure out the inconsistencies. Unlike before, one can now find a lawyer's statements online.