Palace: Marcos Jr. aware of Mary Jane Veloso case
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs will take the lead on any talks on the case of Mary Jane Veloso, the migrant Filipino worker in prison in Indonesia on a drug conviction, administration officials said Sunday.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is in Jakarta for a state visit and Veloso's parents have appealed to the government to seek executive clemency for her after more than a decade behind bars.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles and Migrant Workers Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople stressed at a media briefing in Jakarta that the Veloso case is a sensitive matter and that they cannot comment on it beyond saying that Marcos is aware of the issue.
"By agreement, it will be the DFA that will be taking the lead," Ople said, saying the department has the institutional memory on the case and because of the "importance of speaking with one voice on a case that has such very sensitive dimensions as the case of Mary Jane Veloso."
She said that the matter has been brought to Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo. "I'm sure that he will be, at the appropriate time, open to saying more about this," Ople also said.
She added that although the Philippines can pursue the diplomatic track on the case, Filipinos can also turn to the "divine track" and to pray that Veloso will be allowed to come home.
"We proceed with deliberation if we proceed at all," Cruz-Angeles said. "I'm not saying we're proceeding with anything, but the president is aware of the issue but beyond that we cannot discuss."
WATCH: Members of the Filipino community here in Jakarta chant 'BBM' pic.twitter.com/UvDCEWXX3a
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Veloso case
Veloso was convicted and sentenced to death over heroin found sewn into the lining of her luggage in April 2010. Her execution was stayed in 2015 after the Philippines argued that she could testify in human trafficking cases against her recruiters, whom she said were behind the drug smuggling scheme.
"Ang anak po namin na si Mary Jane ay napilitang lumabas ng bansa upang maghanapbuhay na bitbit ang pangarap na makaahon kami sa kahirapan at mabigyan ng maayos na buhay at mapag-aral ang kanyang mga anak," her parents said on Friday.
(Our daughter was forced to leave the country to earn a living, bringing with her our dream of getting out of poverty as well as giving her children a good life and a good education.)
In his remarks on Sunday, Marcos said of Overseas Filipino Workers that the country is "always so proud of them" as he thanked Indonesia and Singapore for welcoming Filipino workers to their countries.
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