Suspicious visitors prompt Veloso kin to seek security help from DOJ

The family of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug smuggling, has requested the government to provide security assistance in their neighborhood in Nueva Ecija after suspicious-looking men supposedly visited them the other night.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she has sent a National Bureau of Investigation team to Nueva Ecija on Monday night 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.

"If there is something na fishy or sinister about that visit, then iimbestigahan yan. Then, puwede nang magbigay ng protection," she said.

De Lima said the men dropped by the house of the Velosos and spoke with one of Mary Jane's sisters. The man allegedly told the sister that he finds the progress of the case related to Veloso "slow."

"When they say 'nababalagan sa kaso,' what does that mean? Ano iyong message nun if they're trying to impart something?" De Lima said. "Hindi naman mawawala iyong... talagang natatakot ang mga family nila."

De Lima said the Velosos have so far requested a police checkpoint at their neighborhood and not necessarily security detail at their house.

"Ang nire-request nila ay lagyan ng parang checkpoint ng Philippine National Police doon. I think iyong lugar nila ay sa loob, parang papasok, interior. So iyong papunta doon, kung puwedeng lagyan daw ng checkpoint ng PNP," she said.

"Hindi pa naman sila nagre-request na... lagyan ng bantay iyong bahay nila. Not yet," De Lima added.

Veloso was supposed to be executed by firing squad in Indonesia on April 29 after she was convicted of smuggling drugs from Malaysia in 2010. The execution, however, was postponed at the last minute so she could testify against her alleged recruiters in the Philippines.

Ma. Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, Veloso's supposed recruiters, are currently facing large-scale illegal recruitment charges for tricking three other victims. A separate case against them related to Veloso is currently under preliminary investigation by the DOJ. —KBK, GMA News

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