Duterte Ready to Accept Indonesia’s Decision on Veloso
MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will plead his Indonesian counterpart President Joko Widodo for mercy for Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who is on death row, in his first visit to Indonesia. However, he says if it does not work, he is ready to accept Veloso’s fate.
Veloso — a single mother of two from the Philippines who has been sentenced to death in Indonesia for allegedly smuggling drugs into the country — has maintained her innocence, insisting she was an unknowing drug mule, reported Rappler.
“Well, I may just have to ask Widodo in a most respectful and in very, very courteous way. And if my pleadings will fall on deaf ears, I am ready to accept it – for the simple reason I do not doubt the judicial system of Indonesia,” he reportedly said.
“I have been there once upon a time, and I was able to observe how it works. Whether or not she is really guilty, she’s bound to be culpable liability. So, I might just accept the system and plead for mercy. But if President Widodo will deny it, still I would be grateful that she has been treated very well.”
The President also reportedly said he respects the laws of Indonesia, the same way he expects Philippine laws to be respected. “For after all, we have our laws to follow and had it been any other… or the other way around, I might also be at the receiving end of so many pleas for mercy – and I would never know what or how to react.”
Duterte has consistently slammed other western countries like the United States as well as international organizations like the United Nations, for “interfering” with Philippine affairs, after they have expressed concern over the rise of extrajudicial killings in the country since Duterte came into power, said the news portal.
The killings are said to be related to Duterte’s intensified war against drugs, it said.
Duterte’s statement reportedly comes 4 days after Veloso appealed to Duterte for help in “getting justice.”
“I’ve been suffering for so long here in Indonesia, suffering even though I am innocent. You are my only hope,” she was quoted as saying in an audio recording.
Mary Jane reportedly said in Filipino that she is “ready to be executed” but is “hurt by the fact that she’s innocent” and that “she has children who are still very young. I’ve been in Indonesia for almost 7 years now and I still haven’t been given justice. That’s all I ask from you – give me justice.”
Duterte is set to visit Indonesia, the most populous country in Southeast Asia, from September 8 to 9, reported Rappler.
Mary Jane Veloso, 31, was arrested in 2010 for allegedly smuggling into the country, 2.6 kilograms of heroin through the lining of her suitcase. Veloso, who hails from Nueva Ecija, had flown to Malaysia with the intention of securing a job as a domestic helper.
(Source: FilipinoTimes.ae)