Mary Jane Veloso (File photo screengrab from PTV)
MANILA – The Philippine government is continuously pushing for the grant of clemency to Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipino worker who has been on Indonesia's death row over drug-related charges, a Palace official said Wednesday.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles made this remark after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) appealed for executive clemency from the Indonesian government following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s three-day state visit there.
Cruz-Angeles maintained the need to be careful in releasing statements to avoid repercussions such as transgressing the sovereignty of another state.
She said the President has yet to release an official statement on Veloso’s case but assured that processes are “moving.”
“If the President feels that the policy is in place and it’s time to make a pronouncement then, of course, he will do so. Pero (But) for the moment, things are still moving. Since it was on Sept. 4 only that our foreign affairs (department) brought the matter up to their local counterpart in Indonesia, then there’s no decision yet that’s made,” she said.
“There’s nothing final pero tinutuloy-tuloy pa rin natin ang paghahanap ng solusyon (but we are continuously trying to find a solution),” she added.
Citing DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo, Cruz-Angeles earlier said that Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi will be consulting their Ministry of Justice regarding Veloso’s case.
The Philippine embassy has so far provided Veloso with legal counsel and consular services.
Veloso was arrested upon her arrival in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2010 for carrying 2.5 kilograms of heroin in her luggage.
She was sentenced to death and was scheduled for execution on April 29, 2015, but was eventually granted a stay of execution after the arrest of her recruiters who supposedly framed her into unknowingly acting as a drug mule.
Genuine concern
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), meanwhile, lauded the government's action on Veloso’s case.
Bishop Ruperto Santos, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) chairperson, said these actions taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs show that the government has not forgotten Veloso.
“That is a very encouraging and inspiring move from the DFA. This shows how much we care and are so concerned with Mary Jane Veloso. We don't forget her as we continue to exhaust all means and make everything possible to bring her freely and safely home,” Santos said.
He said he continues to pray for Veloso.
“We support the kind and good deeds of our government officials, the DFA and the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment). We are always constantly praying for MJ and continuously extending our help and assistance,” Santos added. (with Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
