ENDEAVOR
Mary Jane Veloso’s homecoming yesterday, Dec. 18, culminates a nearly 15-year saga that began in 2010 when, as a 25-year-old young mother, she was brought by local recruiters first to Malaysia, then to Indonesia, where she landed in prison and was convicted to die by musketry, after serving unwittingly as a courier of prohibited drugs.
I recall the events of April 25 to 28, 2015, that brought me to Kuala Lumpur, then to Langkawi, Malaysia for the first of two ASEAN summit meetings that year, as then President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s press secretary.
After the formal opening ceremony, the heads of state went on recess. Through close coordination, our Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) team ensured that President Aquino would be able to converse with Indonesian President Joko Widodo as they walked toward the lounge. It was during that brief interlude that a plea for a stay in her execution was conveyed.
President Widodo said he will discuss the matter with concerned officials. As the other heads of state took the air shuttle to the resort island of Langkawi, he headed for Japan to fulfill a previous commitment.
The following day’s business sessions lasted till noon; then the visiting delegations prepared to head home. Throughout this period, continuous consultations were held by the DFA team headed by Secretary Albert del Rosario with their Indonesian counterparts based in Jakarta and Manila.
Before leaving for the airport, President Aquino called up Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi to appeal anew in Mary Jane’s behalf. Throughout the President’s nearly four-hour flight from Malaysia to Manila, officials carried on conversations pertaining to Mary Jane’s fate.
There was an air of inevitability that such appeals may have been in vain. In fact, one of the broadsheets (not the Manila Bulletin) carried this grim headline in bold capital letters: DEATH CAME AT DAWN.
Fortunately for Mary Jane, President Widodo heeded President Aquino’s appeal and stayed her execution.
Here’s a brief flashback to what went on before, as noted in our MB editorial a last month:
“In 2010, Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, then 25 years old, left her two young children to her parents’ care in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija to seek proverbial greener pastures abroad. After initially landing in Malaysia, she moved to Indonesia on advice of her Filipino recruiters. Upon arrival in Yogyakarta, Indonesia she was detained after authorities uncovered 2.6 kilos of heroin with an estimated worth of $500,000 hidden in the inner lining of what she thought to be an empty suitcase given by her recruiter.
“She was sentenced to death in October 2014 and scheduled for execution in April 2015, but this verdict was stayed due to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s no-execution policy. While attending an ASEAN summit in Malaysia, President Benigno S. Aquino III appealed to President Joko Widodo for a stay in her execution. Fortunately, President Widodo acceded, despite his decision to allow the execution of other convicted foreigners.”
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. deserves full credit for bringing about Mary Jane’s fortunate homecoming. From his initial meeting with then incoming Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, he has conveyed the government’s appeal for clemency.
After meeting President Marcos in Manila last September, President Prabowo gave upbeat statements addressed to his host: “I’m really impressed with your leadership. Your strategic outlook has advanced the Philippines’ stance on the global stage significantly, showing real progress in politics, the economy and militarily.”
Indeed, the Philippines and Indonesia have been the closest of allies for decades, dating back to the incipient days of ASEAN. Recently, this was demonstrated anew when Philippine authorities secured the repatriation of former Bamban Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, who had taken flight to Indonesia, while facing charges in Manila.
The plight of overseas Filipino workers has always been a priority concern of Philippine Presidents. Recall that in 1995, two Cabinet secretaries resigned in the aftermath of the execution in Singapore of Filipina domestic helper Flor Ramos Contemplation who as convicted for the alleged killing of fellow Filipina Delia Maga, who was babysitting a four-year old Singaporean child. First, it was Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo, followed by Labor Secretary Nieves Confesor, who resigned successively amid the furor.
That there have been no similar incidents in almost three decades reflects the quality of governance, as well as of economic and foreign affairs management that has been attained by the country.
The creation of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), as well as the establishment of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), provide testament to the government’s determination to ensure the well-being of Filipinos who have been constrained to seek proverbial greener pastures abroad in quest of better opportunities.
Fourteen long and hard years after her imprisonment in a foreign land, Mary Jane has returned to her country, hopeful she may be granted executive clemency and finally regain her freedom.
As one who had endured so many Christmases behind bars in a foreign land, she looks forward to being a free person once again and pursue her dreams of a better life – reunited with her parents, children and siblings in Nueva Ecija.
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