Bishop joins calls for Duterte to save Mary Jane Veloso

A bishop has joined calls for President Rodrigo Duterte to save Mary Jane Veloso from execution in Indonesia where she was convicted for drug trafficking.
According to Bishop Ruperto Santos, the government should exert all efforts to save Veloso from the firing squad.
He also said there is a need to expedite the trial of Ma. Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, the two recruiters who allegedly tricked Veloso into bringing 2.6 kilograms of heroin to Indonesia in 2010.
Sergio and Lacanilao are facing illegal recruitment, human trafficking and estafa cases before the Baloc Regional Trial Court in Indonesia.
Santos, who heads the Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, also appealed to Filipinos to continue praying for Veloso, whose execution last year was put on hold to allow her to testify against her alleged recruiters.
Santos gave the statement after Duterte reportedly gave the go-signal for Veloso's execution during his meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo last week.
Malacañang has denied the report, which came out in the Jakarta Post, saying what Duterte told Widodo was that he would not interfere with Indonesian laws. —KBK, GMA News

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