Mary Jane Veloso maintains innocence, says she’s leaving her fate to God
Maintaining her innonence, Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipino facing execution in Indonesia for drug smuggling, is leaving her fate to God as Philippine authorities continued to exert efforts to spare her life.
“Hindi ako nag-aalala,” she told her sister in a phone conversation shown in a report on “24 Oras” Thursday. “Lagi ko sinasabi sa iyo, kung anuman ang mangyayari sa akin, 'yun ang kagustuhan ng Panginoong Diyos. Naniniwala ko na tutulungan ako ng Diyos kasi wala ako kasalanan.”
Veloso, 30, also thanked the groups that have openly expressed their support to her and her family throughout the crisis.
“Nagpapasalamat din ako sa buong mundo na handa silang tumulong sa akin. Kahit 'di nila ako kilala pero naniniwala sila sa akin na wala ako kasalanan,” she said.
Her sister, Maritess, told "24 Oras" that she is scheduled to leave for Indonesia on Friday to meet with Veloso. The rest of Veloso's family, including her children, however, are unlikely to have another chance to speak with her personally.
Group blames govt
In a separate report on “24 Oras,” the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) blamed the government's alleged slow action on Veloso's case for her fate.
Lawyer Cris Yambot of NUPL said that language barrier hampered the positive progress of Veloso's case.
“Binigyan po siya ng interperter, pero hindi po ito duly approved o kung baga, 'di po siya rehistrado. 'Di po English ang secondary language po nila at nakikita naman po natin talaga na may language barrier,” she said.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose has earlier denied that the government did not pay enough attention to Veloso case, saying it is exhausting all its options to spare her life.
Innocent
Veloso was arrested at the Yogyakarta Airport on April 25, 2010 after her suitcase was found loaded with 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
Her father, Caesar, believes in his daughter's innonence. The family has earlier claimed that Veloso was tricked by a close friend into bringing the illegal drugs to Indonesia.
“Nung nabalitaan kong nakakulong siya, 'di ko matanggap. Nung nakakulong na siya, 'di ko na po alam kung anong ginawa ko. Pinukpok ko na po yung ulo ko sa pader,” Caesar said.
“Sana tulungan niyo kami. Wala hong kasalanan ang aking anak, inosente lang siya,” Veloso's mother, Celia, pleaded.
Celia and Caesar previously blamed Veloso's recruiter for putting their daughter in danger, though the recruiter insisted that she merely helped her go to Indonesia.
The Philippine government is pushing through with its second request for a judicial review after the first one was rejected by Indonesia's Supreme Court.
Indonesia, for its part, said it is scheduled to proceed with the executions of convicted drug smugglers when the Asian-African summit or Bandung Conference concludes on April 24. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
“Hindi ako nag-aalala,” she told her sister in a phone conversation shown in a report on “24 Oras” Thursday. “Lagi ko sinasabi sa iyo, kung anuman ang mangyayari sa akin, 'yun ang kagustuhan ng Panginoong Diyos. Naniniwala ko na tutulungan ako ng Diyos kasi wala ako kasalanan.”
Veloso, 30, also thanked the groups that have openly expressed their support to her and her family throughout the crisis.
“Nagpapasalamat din ako sa buong mundo na handa silang tumulong sa akin. Kahit 'di nila ako kilala pero naniniwala sila sa akin na wala ako kasalanan,” she said.
Her sister, Maritess, told "24 Oras" that she is scheduled to leave for Indonesia on Friday to meet with Veloso. The rest of Veloso's family, including her children, however, are unlikely to have another chance to speak with her personally.
Group blames govt
In a separate report on “24 Oras,” the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) blamed the government's alleged slow action on Veloso's case for her fate.
Lawyer Cris Yambot of NUPL said that language barrier hampered the positive progress of Veloso's case.
“Binigyan po siya ng interperter, pero hindi po ito duly approved o kung baga, 'di po siya rehistrado. 'Di po English ang secondary language po nila at nakikita naman po natin talaga na may language barrier,” she said.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose has earlier denied that the government did not pay enough attention to Veloso case, saying it is exhausting all its options to spare her life.
Innocent
Veloso was arrested at the Yogyakarta Airport on April 25, 2010 after her suitcase was found loaded with 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
Her father, Caesar, believes in his daughter's innonence. The family has earlier claimed that Veloso was tricked by a close friend into bringing the illegal drugs to Indonesia.
“Nung nabalitaan kong nakakulong siya, 'di ko matanggap. Nung nakakulong na siya, 'di ko na po alam kung anong ginawa ko. Pinukpok ko na po yung ulo ko sa pader,” Caesar said.
“Sana tulungan niyo kami. Wala hong kasalanan ang aking anak, inosente lang siya,” Veloso's mother, Celia, pleaded.
Celia and Caesar previously blamed Veloso's recruiter for putting their daughter in danger, though the recruiter insisted that she merely helped her go to Indonesia.
The Philippine government is pushing through with its second request for a judicial review after the first one was rejected by Indonesia's Supreme Court.
Indonesia, for its part, said it is scheduled to proceed with the executions of convicted drug smugglers when the Asian-African summit or Bandung Conference concludes on April 24. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
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