Marcos to raise Mary Jane Veloso's case in Indonesia visit, says DFA

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.  will discuss the case of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipino on death row, with Indonesian officials in his state visit to the foreign country next week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo made the announcement after he was asked by Gabriela party-list representative Arlene Brosas about the updates on Filipinos facing death sentences abroad, many of them women.

"We will go to Indonesia. Most likely, we will raise this issue and concerns to Indonesian officials," he said.

"This is one of the issues which we will raise during the state visit," he added.

Veloso is in detention in Indonesia due to drug trafficking charges. She has denied the charges and maintained that her recruiters tricked her into bringing drugs by giving her a suitcase that contained illegal drugs in its seams.

Veloso was supposed to be executed by firing squad in April 2015, but last minute appeal from then President Benigno Aquino III and the arrest of the Filipino's recruiters in the Philippines who allegedly planted drugs in her suitcase prompted Indonesia President Joko Widodo to spare her life at the 11th hour.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose de Vega reiterated that Veloso is a victim.

"We have asked Indonesia to hold any execution because we are trying to show that she was a victim, not a perpetrator," De Vega said during DFA's presentation of its P20.3 billion proposed budget for 2023 before the House Appropriations panel.

DFA mandate in assisting Pinoys

In the same hearing, De Vega said that DFA will still retain its mandate of repatriating and providing assistance to Filipinos even amid the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

"The DMW covers Filipino nationals who are there [abroad] to work, but it does not cover immigrants, permanent residents, citizens of host country but of Filipino descent or also a Filipino citizen, those awaiting naturalization, Filipinos engaged in government exchange visiting program and those who are there (abroad) who are there not to work, including spouses of foreign citizens. The responsibility is on us," De Vega said 

"For those areas with no Philippine labor attaches in place, it will still be primarily the DFA who will be responsible for the repatriation and we always try to comply with our responsibility," he added.

De Vega said that the DFA earlier repatriated 22 Filipinos from Sri  Lanka, and around 300 from Kuwait are also due to be repatriated next week.

In addition, the official said there will be three or more chartered flights coming for repatriation of Filipinos from Saudi Arabia.—LDF, GMA News