Veloso bids final farewell

President Aquino did not get a concrete response from Widodo, who said he would have to consult the Indonesian attorney general.

Widodo promised to continue the discussion in the afternoon, before the summit moved from Kuala Lumpur to the resort island of Langkawi.

On the plane to Langkawi, the President sent word through Communications Undersecretary Renato Marfil that he was still waiting for Widodo’s response to his request.

It appeared that Widodo had decided not to join the other Asean leaders in Langkawi, an hour’s flight from Kuala Lumpur.

President Aquino and his entourage arrived on the island at 5:26 p.m.

As of press time, there was no word if the President and Widodo had talked again.

Reached by phone, Marfil told the Inquirer that the “resumption of conversation” that Widodo promised Aquino did not mean meeting face-to-face again.

But the Philippine government continued to wait for word from Indonesia, Marfil said.

After 8 p.m., however, Reuters reported the Indonesian attorney general as saying that Veloso would still face execution after the last-ditch appeal from President Aquino.

Jose, however, said Monday night the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta had no confirmation that the attorney general said there was no clemency for Veloso.

Earlier on Monday, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Aquino appealed to Widodo “for humanitarian consideration.”

He said Aquino told Widodo that Veloso, a 30-year-old single mother of two, was “apparently duped into being an unwitting carrier of illegal drugs.”

Coloma said Widodo was “sympathetic and was consulting with the Indonesian attorney general on the legal issues.”

‘So long as there’s life’

Asked if there was hope Veloso could be spared, Coloma said: “So long as there is life, there is hope.”

The Inquirer learned that the two leaders discussed extensively Veloso’s case during Widodo’s visit to Manila in February. As early as that time, Widodo and the Indonesian Supreme Court refused clemency appeals for Veloso.