Sibling to solons: 5 years enough suffering for Mary Jane Veloso

 Video by Marc Jayson Cayabyab

THE sister of convicted drug courier Mary Jane Veloso broke down in tears during a House of Representatives inquiry, deploring that her sister has suffered enough for five years before her death sentence in Indonesia was suspended at the 11^th-hour.

During the House overseas workers affairs committee hearing on Wednesday, Maritess Veloso-Laurente told lawmakers that her family hopes that other overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) family would not suffer the same agony their family had gone through when they waited for the execution of Mary Jane.

“Ang pamilya po namin ay nakikiusap po sana na yung aming nararanasan ay….” Maritess said before her voice trailed off.

“… Ay hindi na maranasan ng iba pang pamilya. Dahil napakasakit po,” she added while weeping.

Maritess said five years of being in jail were enough suffering for her sister, who was said to have fallen prey to an international drug syndicate and an illegal recruiter and was duped to smuggle heroin into Indonesia.

“Tama na yung limang taon na naging pagdurusa niya na wala siyang kasalanan,” she said.

Maritess mother Celia Veloso also cried beside her, but she was noticeably silent throughout the hearing. Mary Jane’s mother came under fire on social media after she refused to apologize to the President Benigno Aquino III after she accused the government of only helping her family at the last minute.

Maritess said she hopes the government this time would be able to act swiftly in helping other OFWs in death row ahead of their execution.

“Huwag na sana natin hintayin na maging huli na kagaya nang nangyari kay Mary Jane, kung kailan last minute na saka tayo maghahabol,” Maritess said.

The inquiry was launched following resolutions filed by Makabayan lawmakers calling for an investigation into the government’s supposed failure to help Veloso’s family.

Veloso is one of 41 Filipinos meted with the death penalty abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs told the House dangerous drugs committee in an earlier hearing. The agency added that in all 1,288 Filipinos were detained overseas for drug-related offenses.

Veloso was sentenced to death by firing squad following her drug trafficking conviction in Indonesia. The execution was stopped at the last minute after her alleged recruiter Maria Kristina Sergio surfaced at a police station in Nueva Ecija.

After Sergio was put under police custody, others have come out and claimed to be victims of her alleged human trafficking activities.

The Philippine government has requested to delay the execution to tap Veloso as a witness in Sergio’s alleged human trafficking, illegal recruitment and estafa cases before the Department of Justice.

Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao are detained at the Nueva Ecija provincial jail following the filing of illegal recruitment case against the two.

In her affidavit, Veloso said she fell victim to an illegal recruiter and was used as an unwilling drug mule of an international drug syndicate.

She was originally recruited to work as a domestic helper in Kuala Lumpur until her recruiter, Sergio, allegedly asked her to proceed to Indonesia with an empty but heavy suitcase. Authorities arrested Veloso when her suitcase yielded 2.6 kilograms of heroin that were hidden in the luggage’s lining. AC