Gov’t still in support of Mary Jane Veloso —DFA



The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is still determined to prove that Mary Jane Veloso, who is still languishing in Indonesian death row, is a victim of human trafficking even after the setback in her case against her alleged recruiters.
"May mga anggulo tayong gustong makita, kung papaano 'yung kanyang pagiging victim of a trafficking situation, na kung saan 'yung ating determination 'di nawawala," said lawyer Raul Dado of the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs in JP Soriano's report on Balitanghali on Thursday.
Veloso, who turned 33 on Wednesday, was arrested and sentenced to death for bringing 2.6 kilograms of heroin at the Yogyakarta Airport in 2010. Her execution was stayed in 2015 to make way for a court case against Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters who allegedly set her up with the luggage.
Both Veloso and her parents have sought the help of President Rodrigo Duterte in allowing her to testify in the trial of Sergio and Lacanilao.
The three made the appeal despite Duterte's firm stance against illegal drugs and his failure to bring up Veloso's case with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in two separate occasions.
Dado said the DFA remains in full support of Veloso and other Filipinos convicted of drug-related charges abroad despite Duterte's stance on her case.
"We observe our government's mandate to fight drugs. At the same time, we also defend the presumption of innocence that is afforded of the accused," he said.
Veloso is one of 73 Filipinos bound for execution abroad, according to the OUMWA Communications Section.
There are 39 Filipinos on death row in Malaysia, 25 in Saudi Arabia, two each in China and the United States, and one each in Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Bahrain. Most were convicted of drug-related charges. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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