NBI: Mary Jane Veloso’s husband, kids to be placed under WPP

The family of Mary Jane Veloso will be placed under the government's Witness Protection Program, following reports of "visits" from "unidentified armed men" in their residence in Nueva Ecija, National Bureau of Investigation Dir. Virgilio Mendez said Wednesday.

At a hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Director Virgilio Mendez of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Mary Jane's husband and two children "will be turned over to the NBI and will be covered by the Witness Protection Program to ensure their safety."

The turnover is expected within the day, he said.

Mary Jane has been sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug smuggling, but her execution was put on hold last month after the Philippine government said it wants her as witness in the case against her recruiters in the Philippines, who are facing illegal recruitment and human trafficking cases.

In her affidavit, Mary Jane claimed she was tricked into bringing 2.6 kilograms of heroin to Indonesia in April 2010 by her recruiter, Ma. Cristina Sergio, who is now detained in the Philippines together with her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao.

Mendez said Veloso's family reported to them that "there were men trying to approach them."

"There were unidentified armed men who visited the residence," he said. "Wala naman pong nangyari. We're still verifying who they are."

On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she has sent an NBI team to Nueva Ecija to check the premises of the Velosos' residence in Talavera town.

She said authorities are still trying to identify the three men who visited the Velosos to determine their motive for the visit.

Mary Jane could have been the sixth Filipino executed in Asia on drug-related charges since 2011. A total of five convicted Filipino drug couriers were killed through lethal injection in China – four in 2011 and one in 2013.
 
Unfazed by the executions, many Filipinos continue to engage in drug trafficking.
 
In exchange for huge payments, Filipino women and even men are reportedly being hired by West African drug syndicates to transport drugs mainly in Asia and South America. —KBK, GMA News

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