MANILA, Philippines - There will be no execution of Filipinos on China's death row in the next 2 to 3 weeks, a spokesman of the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

DFA Spokesman Ed Malaya said China's Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision soon on the case of 5 Filipinos facing the death penalty without reprieve for drug smuggling.

"Wala naman po sa palagay naming mangyayaring execution in the next two to three weeks. Tayo po ay nakatanggap ng assurances from the Chinese side. Hindi tayo dapat mag-eexpect ng implementation very, very soon," he told ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda."

Malaya said the Manila hostage crisis will not affect the court's decision on the cases. He said efforts are being taken to improve ties with mainland China and Hong Kong after the fallout caused by the death of 8 Hong Kong tourists during the August 23 hostage-taking.

"Generally, yung ating relasyon with China remains vibrant. Stable quite good. Ang ating assessment, yung nangyari last Monday will not affect cases like this," he said.

Spike in cases

Malaya said there has been a spike in drug trafficking cases in the last two years.

DFA records show 320 Filipinos are facing drug-related charges in countries across Asia. Of that number, 205 are in China where the trafficking of drugs -- 50 grams or more-- is punishable by 15 years in prison, life imprisonment or death.

Malaya noted that aside from the operations of the Drug Couriers Task Force, the government is conducting an information campaign that emphasizes individual personal responsibility.

The spokesman said  the task force, headed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and co-chaired by the DFA, recently discovered an international drug syndicate that led to the arrest of 9 Nigerians, a Thai, a Malaysian and two Filipinos.

The lure of money

The lure of money has remained a strong motivation for getting into the risky business of drug trafficking. Drug couriers are supposedly paid an amount ranging from $3,000 to $4,000 to do the job.

The Blas Ople Foundation said it is a price that makes Filipinos an easy target of drug syndicates.

"Susunggaban nila yung opportunity kahit iligal. Hindi nila naiisip ang consequence-- kulong, minsan bitay, not to mention yung sakit ng ulo sa gobyerno na kailangang makiusap para ma-pardon sila," foundation president Susan Ople said.

She warned Filipino migrants of the dangers of serving as "drug mules."

"Pag masyadong malaki ang offer tapos ang bayad kada transaksyon aba magtaka na kayo dahil baka iligal na ang pinapasok niyo," Ople said. - With a report from Zen Hernandez, ABS-CBN News