Yasay: Duterte, Widodo statements consistent with each other

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said the recent statements of President Rodrigo Duterte and Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo regarding the execution of Mary Jane Veloso were not in conflict with each other.

According to a report from the Jakarta Post, Widodo said that Duterte has given the "green light" to execute Veloso who has been convicted of drug trafficking in 2010.

Widodo reportedly said that he explained to Duterte that Veloso has been found guilty of carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin during their meeting.

"President Duterte said, please go ahead if you want to execute," Widodo told members of the press in Indonesian, as reported by ABC Indonesia correspondent Adam Harvey.

Yasay had released a statement clarifying that the president did not give a go signal to execute the convicted Filipina in Indonesia.

READ: Report: Duterte gave go signal to execute Mary Jane Veloso | Yasay: No green light on Veloso execution

The Foreign Affairs secretary, however, said the statements of the two leaders are consistent with each other.

"[Duterte] says, 'I will respect your judicial process and will accept whatever final decision you will have in this case.' This is a correct statement that any president must do under the circumstances because we cannot interfere," Yasay said in an interview with ANC's Headstart on Tuesday morning.

Yasay added that the statement of Widodo in connection to the execution of Veloso might have been "lost in translation" as the remarks were stated in Bahasa.

"All I'm saying is that the statement of President Widodo and what President Duterte have said do not necessarily conflict with each other but can be misconstrued or misinterpreted as I feel it has been by the press," the Foreign Affairs chief said.

He added that he has been in contact with his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, prior to releasing the statement to clarify Duterte's supposed "green light" for the execution of Veloso.

"Even before I released my statement to the press yesterday, I immediately called my counterpart and said, 'You know, this is the statement that allegedly President Widodo had said and I'm faxing this statement that I prepared now for your consideration,'" Yasay said.

The execution of Veloso has been indefinitely deferred while her alleged recruiters are undergoing prosecution in the Philippines.