DFA chief reiterates request for clemency for Mary Jane Veloso
MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Tuesday raised Mary Jane Veloso’s plight during the Philippines and Indonesia’s 7th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesperson Teresita Daza confirmed the matter to reporters, saying Manalo specifically talked to his counterpart, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Masurdi.
“Secretary Manalo reiterated the Philippine request for clemency to be granted to Ms. Veloso,” said Daza.
“In the meantime, the Philippine government continues to provide legal, consular, and welfare assistance to Ms. Veloso. The DFA will continue working with the Department of Justice on the case filed by Ms. Veloso against her perpetrators,” she added.
Veloso is a Filipino death row convict who has been in detention in Indonesia for more than 10 years now.
In 2010, she was apprehended at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
Veloso maintained she was unaware of the contents of her luggage as it was only given by her recruiters, Julius Lacanilao and Maria Cristina Sergio.
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