MANILA - The mother of rape victims Mary Joy and Jacqueline Chiong claimed Tuesday that she has not received compensation from the Larrañaga family, boosting her hope of blocking the impending transfer of Francisco Juan "Paco" Larrañaga to Spain.

"Wala naman silang ibinayad sa akin talaga eh. Deadma sila palagi diyan. May writ of execution na ipinrisinta na sila pero wala pa rin sila [ibinabayad]," Thelma Chiong told radio dzMM.

Mrs. Chiong said she will cite the issue of unpaid civil damages, which she said amounts to at least P50,000, in her letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Agnes Devanadera, and also in a possible petition before the Supreme Court.

She added that she is in the process of meeting her lawyers, and another possible move they would make is to question Larrañaga's claim of Spanish citizenship.

Mrs. Chiong also doubted Larrañaga's claim that he is a citizen of Spain.

She said the government had something to do with Larrañaga's application to avail of the RP-Spain Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement.

"Ang government mismo ang gumagawa ng paraan para malibre ang mga kriminal. 'Di ba criminal-friendly country tayo?" said Mrs. Chiong, who is a member of the Crusade Against Violence.

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, meanwhile, said that "in so far as documents are concerned" the DOJ has been informed that the Chiong family has already received compensation from Larrañaga's family.

Devanadera said the DOJ could look into whether compensation has indeed been paid.

Meanwhile, the justice secretary denied that it was the government that initiated Larrañaga's application for transfer to Spain. She said it was Larrañaga's lawyer who filed for the petition before the DOJ.

"We only act as soon as documents are filed. We don't even have to be followed up if requirements are filed," she said.

Devanadera also denied reports that the Philippines is releasing Larrañaga to Spain in exchange for Filipino prisoners.

She said two Filipinos, who are currently jailed in Spain on drug charges, have also applied using the treaty.

Mrs. Chiong had said that if reports about the prisoner swap were true, the Filipino convict in Spain should at least be serving the same sentence as Larrañaga.

Larrañaga and other scions of rich families in Cebu were convicted for the kidnapping, homicide and rape of the Chiong sisters in 1997.