Mourning turns to joy: Mary Jane's mother thankful for 'miracle'

Mary Jane Veloso's family were already in mourning and consoling themselves with their memories of her.

 

They were in a convoy of vehicles heading to Jakarta from Cilacap in Indonesia. Then at about 1:00 a.m. (local time) the bus stopped at a gasoline station and it was there that the Indonesia authorities on board announced the news that Mary Jane was not executed on Indonesia's prison island.

 

GMA News' Emil Sumangil had been trailing the bus and caught up with the convoy taking the Veloso family and personnel of the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs to Jakarta.

 

A joyful and thankful Veloso family disembarked from the bus and talked with GMA News.

 

“Tama talaga 'yong sabi ng anak kong si Mary Jane. Kung gusto raw siya buhayin ng Panginoon, 'Maski isang hibla na lang, Nanay, kahit isang minuto na lang mabubuhay ako,'” said Celia, Mary Jane's mother.

 

She said they already thought Mary Jane had been executed as the bus moved farther away from where they last saw Mary Jane.

 

“Kaya nagpapasalamat ako nang maraming-marami sa Diyos. Talaga pong may himalang darating sa anak ko,” Celia said.

 

Mary Jane's elder son said he and his brother are very happy their mother is still alive and that they will still get to be with her again.

 

Michael, Mary Jane's husband, thanked Indonesian President Joko Widodo for sparing his wife from the firing squad.



Request from Aquino stopped execution

People holding a vigil outside the Indonesian embassy in Manila cheered and clapped on hearing the news. —  with Reuters/ ELR, GMA News