Family members of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino woman on death row for drug offenses, from left to right, father, Cesar, mother Celia, sons Mark Daniel and Mark Darren and sister Marites, walk upon arrival at Wijayapura ferry port to to cross to the prison island of Nusakambangan, in Cilacap, Central Java, Indonesia, Saturday, April 25, 2015. AP
Mary Jane Veloso has received the notice that her execution is set on April 28, her lawyers and her mother Celia who are in Indonesia have confirmed.
“Dumating na po ang takdang hatol sa aking anak sa (April) 28,” Celia said in a phone patch interview during a press briefing at Migrante International office in Quezon City on Saturday night.
Celia Veloso appealed to President Benigno Aquino III to save the life of her Mary Jane.
“Sana Mr. President gawin n’yo po katungkulan n’yo bilang ama namin sa Pilipinas, kailangan po namin ng tulong,” Celia said. “Sana po mailigtas n’yo anak namin bago dumating araw na yun.”
“Masakit at hindi ko kayang tanggapin dahil walang kasalanan ang anak ko, sya’y inosente,” she said.
Mary Jane Veloso was sentenced to death through firing squad for drug smuggling charges in Indonesia.
The National Union of People’s Lawyers, which provided pro bono legal assistance to the Velosos, lamented that the government failed to provide a lawyer and interpreter for Mary Jane when she was arrested five years ago and during the subsequent trials.
The government had just recently filed a second appeal for judicial review.
“Based on our understanding, according to her Indonesian lawyers, the judicial review will run independently of the implementation of the death sentence, which lies with the executive. The review is under the (Indonesian) Supreme Court. It will not stop (President Joko Widodo) from ordering the implementation,” Rey Cortez of NUPL said during the briefing.
“Since it’s a political decision, pressure should come from the Philippine government,” Cortez said. RC
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