Mary Jane Veloso seeks Duterte’s help in allowing her to testify vs. recruiters

On her 33rd birthday, Filipino death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso sought President Rodrigo Duterte's help in allowing her to testify against the persons she said tricked her into bringing illegal drugs to Indonesia in 2010.

"Pangulong Duterte, buong puso po akong humihingi ng tulong sa inyo para payagan akong magtestigo sa kaso ni [Maria] Cristina Sergio doon sa Pilipinas para maibunyag ang katotohanan at maparusahan ang taong talagang may kasalanan," Veloso said in an audio message to the President.

"Alam ko po na galit po kayo sa droga at gustong mapuksa ang sindikato ng droga para sa kabutihan ng ating bansa at kaligtasan ng ating mga kabataan. Pero paano po ninyo masusugpo ang lahat ng may kaugnayan sa droga kung ganito?"

Excerpt from Mary Jane Veloso's audio plea. Veloso prays that the courts would allow her to testify againsy her alleged illegal recruiters Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao. She also thanks the people who continue to support her and believe that she is innocent. pic.twitter.com/mroDFXInoc

— Rie Takumi (@rie_takumi) January 10, 2018

Veloso said that if she is not allowed to testify against Sergio and Sergio's partner, Julius Lacanilao, the public will never know if she truly is a drug suspect instead of a drug victim.

"Pangulong Duterte, nasa kamay po ninyo ang kaligtasan ng aking buhay. Hindi po ako nawawalan ng pag-asa na makakamtan ko ang katarungan kasi kasama ko po ang Diyos sa laban pong ito. At hanggang kailanman hinding hindi ko aakuin ang kasalanang hindi ko ginawa," she said.

"Pangulong Duterte lubos po akong umaasa na pagbibigyan po ang aming kahilingan na payagan na tumestigo para mapatunayan ko po na wala akong kasalanan," Veloso added.

Veloso made the appeal after the Court of Appeals, in December last year, affirmed its injunction on her testimony. 

Joining her in the appeal were her parents, Celia and Cesar.

"Ako po ay nananawagan sa ating Presidente na sana po tulungan niya yung anak ko. Wala po siyang kasalanan," Cesar said.

"Alam ko pong galit kayo sa droga, pero 'yung anak ko na nabiktima lang po. Kaya nakikiusap po kaming buong pamilya na tulungan niyo po ang aking anak, wala pong kasalanan."

Veloso's execution was put on hold in 2015 to allow her to testify against the suspects who were detained and charged in Nueva Ecija for illegal recruitment and trafficking just a day before she  was due to be executed.

Executive clemency possible

According to lawyer Edre Olalia of the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL), which is representing Veloso and her family, Sergio and Lacanilao already testified in court in 2015 that Veloso had no idea that the bag she was carrying to Indonesia contained illegal drugs.

In the sworn statement signed on May 18, 2015, Sergio said, "Ako ay buong pananalig at naniniwalang inosente si MARY JANE VELOSO sa kasong pagdadala ng illegal na droga na mula Malaysia patungo ng Indonesia kung saan kinakaharap niya ang parusang bitay sa Indonesia."

Olalia said Duterte may still appeal for executive clemency with the Indonesian government for the full release of Veloso. He added that this will not be inconsistent with Duterte's war on illegal drugs as he will be protecting a Filipino who is a victim of illegal drugs.

"Mary Jane is not a drug convict. She is a drug victim. We should emphasize that. It is not inconsistent with this government's campaign against drugs. It is, in fact, in support of the campaign, at least in principle because Mary Jane is the victim of the syndicate," Olalia said.

"For all we know, she might provide the leads so that the syndicate will be arrested and then let the trial court in the Philippines decide whether Mary Jane is telling the truth or not or the illegal recruiters are telling the truth or not," he added.

The Department or Justice in 2015 found probably cause to file illegal recruitment, qualified trafficking and estafa charges against Sergio and Lacanilao.

A West African syndicate was later brought up as a possible culprit as a certain "Ike," described as an African-looking man, allegedly provided Veloso with the bag containing the 2.6 kilos of heroin that lead to the Filipina's arrest.

Sergio, in her 2015 testimony, said she and Veloso supposedly encountered two African-looking men in Malaysia while waiting for their flight to Indonesia. —KBK, GMA News