Veloso kin return from Indonesia

The family of Mary Jane Veloso returned Saturday from a week-long trip to celebrate the Filipino drug convict's birthday at a prison facility in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
 
News TV Live reported that Veloso's parents, Celia and Cesar, and her two children arrived with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, their legal counsel, and members of Migrante International.
 
Veloso's family was able to hold a late celebration of her 31st birthday from January 13 to 15.
"Masaya, talagang ala namang ano eh, ang kwan nga lang, sabi nga niya masarap ang buhay niya doon, lahat nakakain naman niya yung gusto niya kaya lang may kulang, sa puso't isipan niya yung pamilya niya pa rin ang nandun," Celia said on Balitanghali on Saturday.
"Masayang-masaya naman sila dahil maski papano... nabigyan namin sila ng apat (na t-shirt)," Cesar added.

Apart from celebrating her birthday with her family, Philippine officials went to Indonesia to make sure that the case against her alleged recruiters, Ma. Cristina Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao, is moving.

Veloso's legal counsel and the DFA believe that a successful conviction of the alleged recruiters will allow her to make another plea for clemency.
"Baka pupuwede naman lahat ng puwedeng gawin gawin na namin. Medyo matagal yung yakap niya at sabi niya talaga, 'Attorney, baka talagang puwede niyong gawin na lahat ng magagawa niyo dahil hindi lang naman ako inosente pero talagang nami-miss ko na hindi lang aking pamilya kundi yung Pilipinas,'"  Edre Olalia, Veloso's legal counsel, said on Balitanghali.
 
Veloso was sentenced to death on April 2015 for smuggling two kilograms of heroin to Indonesia from Malaysia in 2010.
 
Her execution was deferred at the last minute when Indonesian authorities allowed her to testify against Sergio, Lacanilao, and an unidentified West African drug smuggling ring that allegedly used her as a drug mule. —Rie Takumi/ALG, APG GMA News

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