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The best efforts are being made to save the life of one Pinay.
“At a press conferende on Tuesday, April 21, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Charles Jose said President Noynoy Aquino sent another letter last week to Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo to seek clemency once more for Filipino Mary Jane Veloso, who was sentenced to death for drug smuggling in Indonesia,” reports Michaela del Callar on GMA News Online.
Jose pointed out that Aquino has sent a total of three letters to the Indonesian government in relation to Veloso’s case.
The report noted: “The first letter of clemency was sent in 2011 to then-Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the second letter, which was sent to President Widodo, sought a judicial review for Veloso’s case. Aquino’s third letter to Widodo is also Manila’s first clemency appeal under the new Indonesian government.”
The report then recalled: “Veloso, a 30-year-old single mother, was among several foreign prisoners, including two Australians, who were sentenced to die this year in Indonesia by firing squad on drug-related charges. She was arrested at the Yogyakarta Airport on April 25, 2010. In her testimony, Veloso claimed she was tricked by a close friend into bringing a suitcase loaded with 2.6 kilograms of heroin.”
As the report indicated, “Indonesia said it is scheduled to proceed with the executions when the Asian-African summit or Bandung Conference in Indonesia concludes on April 24, but the Philippine government said it will file a second appeal before the said date.”
While the motion to re-open Veloso’s case was rejected late last month by Indonesia’s Supreme Court, a second review is allowed under Indonesian laws.
