Alleged Mary Jane Veloso recruiter: I was just helping her

MA. KRISTINA Sergio, Mary Jane Veloso’s alleged recruiter. ARMAND GALANG / Inquirer Central Luzon

The alleged recruiter of Mary Jane Veloso on Wednesday maintained that she never harmed Mary Jane Veloso and that she was just helping her.

“Concerned po ako sa kanya, pero ‘yung ipahamak siya, hindi ko po kayang gawin. Kasi kung gusto ko po talaga siyang ipahamak, ‘di po kaya ng konsensya ko na ipahamak ang sarili kong kababayan,” Maria Kristina Sergio told DZMM radio hours after the execution of the Filipina was stopped by the Indonesian government.

(I was concerned about her. I would never put her in harm’s way. My conscience couldn’t bear it if I harmed my own countryman.)

READ: Veloso execution stopped

Sergio turned herself in to authorities Tuesday, claiming threats against her life. This latest development was reported to have been one of the reasons why Veloso got a temporary reprieve.

READ: Mary Jane Veloso recruiters surrender to police

Denying that she was a recruiter, Sergio recounted that it was Veloso and her husband who personally went to see her and her live-in partner to ask for help so she could work abroad again.

“Gusto pa nga nilang isanla ‘yung tricycle nila, pero sabi ng asawa ko huwag na para may pampasada ang asawa niya dahil wala ring trabaho,” Sergio said.

(They even offered to pawn their own tricycle, but my (common law) husband refused so they could still have another source of income because her husband didn’t have a job.)

Sergio said her live-in partner, Julius Lacanilao, is the godbrother of Veloso’s husband.

With the consent of Lacanilao, Sergio said that she agreed to take Veloso to Malaysia with her, pay for her airline ticket, lend her money and pay for their hotel and food expenses in Malaysia.

She, however, clarified that she only lent Veloso P10,000 in cash, among others, and not US$500 as what her family said she said.

Sergio narrated that while in Malaysia, Veloso would make her own transactions and was always on the phone.

READ: Lesson to learn from Mary Jane Veloso’s case

Sergio said that she did not quiz Veloso about her transactions, but advised her not to give her family false hope and not to trust strangers in Malaysia.

She also denied shopping clothes for Veloso and giving her a luggage, which the convicted drug courier said was too heavy.

Sergio said that she was just surprised when Veloso left her at the hotel.

“Nu’ng umalis siya, hindi ko nga alam na may dala na siyang maleta. Tumawag na lang siya na nasa airport siya. Ang huli niyang sabi sa akin, papunta daw po siya sa Singapore. Sabi ko, ‘bakit mo ako iniwan?’ Sabi niya, ‘basta Ate Tin, ikaw na bahala sa pamilya ko’,” Sergio recounted.

(When she left, I didn’t know if she was already carrying a suitcase. She just called me and told me that she was already at the airport and was going to Singapore. I asked her why she left me, but she brushed me off and instead told me to just take care of her family.)

Veloso would instead fly to Indonesia where airport authorities discovered a stash of heroin hidden in her luggage.

“Naninindigan ako na wala akong alam sa sinasabi niyang bag, at ni bahid sa akin, wala akong alam sa droga,” Sergio said.

(I maintain that I don’t know anything about the bag she was talking about and that I don’t know anything about drugs.)

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