Another Filipina in Indonesia death row for drugs

BALI – The Philippine government is looking into the case of another Filipino death convict.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Leehiong Wee disclosed that a Filipina in Semarang, Central Java is in death row for a drug-related case.

He could not readily provide details of the case, which he only learned about last week, but assured that the Philippine government is extending all necessary assistance to the Filipina.

Wee said that just like in the case of Mary Jane Veloso, who was convicted for smuggling heroin and remains in a Yogyakarta prison, the Philippine Embassy in Indonesia is closely monitoring the case of the Filipina in Semarang.

While the ambassador said that Veloso’s case might not be tackled by President Rodrigo Duterte with his Indonesia counterpart Jokowi Widodo, Wee assured that the Philippine government is extending legal aid to the Filipina convict.

Wee said he is scheduled to visit Veloso and the other death convict in Semarang.

He further said the Indonesian government has released 28 of 48 fishermen, most of them hail from Mindanao, who were caught fishing illegally in waters bordering the Philippines and Indonesia.

“They are part of the Filipino community here. All Filipinos need to be taken care of,” Wee pointed out.

There are around 8,000 Filipinos in Indonesia and some 300 of them are in Bali. /kga