CBCP chief asks Indonesian counterpart to help save Mary Jane Veloso’s life

The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has asked his counterpart in Indonesia to help convince the Indonesian government to reverse the death sentence meted out on Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina convicted of drug smuggling.

CBCP President Socrates Villegas made the appeal through a letter sent to Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta and head of the Episcopal Conference of Indonesia.

In his letter, Villegas asked the Catholic Bishops Conference of Indonesia “to implore the President of Indonesia to commute the harsh sentence meted out on Mary Jane and to allow her children to grow up in the loving embrace of their mother.”

Villegas echoed the Philippine government's argument in its request for judicial review that Veloso, 30, was not given fair trial since she did not have an effective translator.
 
“On inquiry with the Philippine diplomatic mission in Indonesia, we were informed that Mary Jane had for a translator one who, though able to understand and to speak both English and Bahasa, was totally unfamiliar with Tagalog that Mary Jane speaks. She then may not have been properly and completely understood by the trial court,” the Lingayen-Dagupan prelate said.

Veloso, who was arrested at the Yogyakarta Airport on April 25, 2010, claimed she was tricked by a close friend into bringing a suitcase loaded with 2.6 kilograms of heroin to Indonesia.

Villegas decribed Veloso as “one of thousands of overseas Filipino workers who leave their families behind in the hope that their sacrifice will allow those they love to live more comfortable lives.”
 
In light of Veloso's case, Villegas said the Catholic Church will continue to teach and guide Filipino workers so that they will not be faced with such predicament.
 
“We, for our part, as the CBCP, will do our utmost towards the proper education and orientation of our Overseas Filipino Workers to avoid unfortunate events,” he said, as he reiterated the Church’s stand against death penalty.
 
The Philippine government said it would push through with a 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. —KBK, GMA News

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