Cardinal Tagle pleads for Filipina’s life

MANILA, Philippines–Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle appealed to the Indonesian government to give due process to Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino woman now in death row in Indonesia for drug-trafficking charges.

“Our call is for Mary Jane [Veloso], like other prisoners facing charges, to be accorded the right to due process. Although we respect the laws of other countries, we appeal to them to respect the rights of Mary Jane and other migrant workers and not deprive them of the right to due process,” Tagle said in an interview over the Church-run Radio Veritas.

Tagle likewise appealed to Filipinos planning to work abroad not to accept parcels or bags from other people, especially from those whom they do not know.

The prelate advised overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be on their guard always and to refuse any persons, whether casual acquaintances or total strangers, who request them to carry something. He said OFWs should be cautions and learn from Veloso’s experience.

“If you have no idea what is inside that bag, you will be the one responsible because it is in your possession. If the content turns out to be illegal, you might be arrested and detained for it,” Tagle said.

Veloso, a 30-year-old mother of two, is currently in Indonesia’s death row after she was caught in 2010 carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin worth $500,000 on her arrival at the Yogyakarta airport from Kuala Lumpur where she had worked as a maid.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is set to file a second appeal for the judicial review of Veloso’s case after Indonesian authorities announced her execution could take place any time after April 24.

“We will no longer wait [for the copy of the Supreme Court decision]. We will file the second appeal in the next day or two,” Charles Jose, DFA spokesman and assistant secretary, told reporters on Tuesday.

The Philippines is awaiting the copy of the decision of Indonesia’s Supreme Court rejecting the appeal of Veloso for a judicial review of her case.

But since Veloso has barely two weeks before the April 24 deadline, the second appeal will be filed in the next two days even if the copy of the decision has not yet been received, Jose said.

The family of Veloso earlier sought the help of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to stop the execution of their loved one.

“All I’m asking is for my daughter to be freed. That’s what our whole family has been yearning for. We have no desire other than to see her free again,” Veloso’s mother, Celia, said in between sobs during a meeting with some CBCP officials last week.

“Even if we are poor, as long as my daughter is with us, it doesn’t matter. That’s all I want, for them to help my daughter regain her freedom,” she added in Filipino.

Celia, her husband Cesar and Mary Jane’s two sons were accompanied by some members of militant group Migrante during the meeting with CBCP officials.

CBCP Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People chair, Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos, earlier said the Filipino faithful should pray to stop the execution of Veloso.

Santos said the CBCP is one with different people’s groups and the Philippine government in appealing to the Indonesian government to spare Veloso from death by firing squad.