Mary Jane Veloso. (File photo by SURYO WIBOWO / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Migrante International on Wednesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should take concrete steps to secure Mary Jane Veloso’s freedom.
According to the group, an action beyond lip service by Marcos to bring Veloso back to the Philippines would set him apart from his “despicable predecessor” who allegedly did nothing for the Filipina on death row.
Marcos and Widodo are set to hold bilateral meetings on Wednesday at the Palace as the Indonesian leader embarks on a three-day official visit to the Philippines from Jan. 9-11.
READ: Bongbong Marcos welcomes Indonesian President Widodo to Palace
“While Marcos Jr. personally asked Widodo to reexamine Mary Jane’s case, no further actions were taken to make sure that Mary Jane is set free and brought home,” Migrante said in a statement.
“Pushing for Mary Jane’s freedom is one way that Marcos Jr. can set himself apart from his despicable predecessor,” the group also said.
Migrante then condemned former president Rodrigo Duterte for letting Veloso “languish in prison.”
“(Duterte) even floated the possibility that Mary Jane’s execution will push through,” the group said.
In 2016, Widodo said that Duterte had given the green light for the execution of Veloso, but then-presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella clarified that the ex-chief executive only said he will not interfere on the case.
READ: Duterte to Widodo: I won’t interfere regarding Mary Jane Veloso
Migrante insisted that Veloso should be freed before the Indonesian national elections in February.
Veloso has been detained in Indonesia as she faces the death penalty after she was arrested at Yogyakarta airport for bringing in more than two kilograms of heroin in 2010.
However, she denied knowledge of the drugs and insisted that the luggage she was carrying was only given to her by her recruiters.
READ: Fate of Mary Jane Veloso on the table as Marcos, Widodo meet
In 2015, during the administration of then President Benigno S. Aquino III, the Indonesian government delayed Veloso’s execution after new evidence emerged that she was also victimized by a drug trafficking syndicate.