Marcos admin cautious on Mary Jane Veloso's case

JAKARTA — The Philippine government is cautious on the case of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina migrant worker who is on death row here for alleged drug trafficking, as some sectors are calling on President Marcos to appeal to the Indonesian government for her release.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles could not say if Veloso's case would be discussed during Marcos' meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday but acknowledged that the issue may be "inescapable."

"We can’t say, officially. It’s always an issue. Perhaps it will be broached by both parties – by one or both parties. We’ll have to see," Angeles told journalists who covered Marcos' state visit on Sunday here.

"I understand, since it’s a pending issue, it may be inescapable but we will announce if it is taken up," she added.

Asked why a visit to Veloso is not included in the itinerary for Marcos' state visit, Angeles said: "We cannot say more, we cannot say more than that. We cannot even guess as to why, but because it is of such a sensitive nature, then we proceed with deliberation."

"We proceed with deliberation if we proceed at all. So I’m not saying that we’re proceeding with anything, but the president is aware of the issue. Beyond that, we cannot discuss," she added.

There was no mention of Veloso's case in Marcos' speech before the Filipino community yesterday here.

Veloso, was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in 2010. The Filipina migrant worker was nabbed at the Yogyakarta airport in 2010 after Indonesian authorities found 2.6 kilos of heroin in her baggage.

Veloso has denied involvement in drug trafficking, saying that she was unaware that illegal drugs were placed in her baggage. She has claimed that a drug syndicate had tricked her into bringing narcotics to Indonesia from Malaysia while she was looking for a job as a domestic helper.

Veloso was supposed to be executed by firing squad in April 2015 but was given a temporary reprieve after her recruiter had surrendered to Filipino authorities. In 2016, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who was known for his tough stance on illegal drugs, said he had assured Widodo that he won't interfere with Indonesia's legal proceedings.

Appeal

Veloso's parents have urged Marcos to ask Widodo to grant clemency to their daughter. In a letter they delivered to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Veloso's parents expressed hope that the President would be able to bring home their daughter because she is innocent.

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople confirmed that the letter was brought to her agency last Friday but she was not in her office that time.

"But I was able to transmit that letter to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The DFA and I met last Friday even before the family came to see us," Ople told reporters here.

"(Foreign Affairs) Secretary (Enrique) Manalo and I met with our undersecretaries at the DFA; hosted a lunch for (Labor) Secretary Benny Laguesma and myself. And several items were discussed about bilateral labor talks and other pressing labor issues and this case was among those discussed," she added.

Ople said officials have agreed that the DFA would be taking the lead in handling the issue because it has institutional memory and knowledge about the case. She also cited the importance of speaking with one voice in a case with "very sensitive dimensions."

"So the DMW will defer to the DFA, and I am sure that Secretary Manalo, I’m sure that he will be at the appropriate time, open to saying more about this case," she added.

Ople, nevertheless, acknowledged that Veloso's case is the "most urgent" among those involving Filipinos in Indonesia.

"I think there are more than 60 death row cases all over the world now. But again, the data and the information is with the DFA. Maybe an appropriate time, if we are fully constituted, so we would be in a better position to be handling some of these cases if not all of them," she added.

Marcos has said the DMW would be fully constituted by next year.