‘STILL AT WORK TO SAVE HER’

Aquino  says gov’t will  run after Veloso’s recruiter, drug ring

President Benigno Aquino III said the government will continue to do everything it can to  save Mary Jane Veloso from death row in Indonesia.

He said the assistance will shift to prosecuting those who illegally recruited her in 2010 and gave her the suitcase which had a secret stash of heroin.

Aquino declined to comment on news reports that Veloso’s family criticized the government for taking credit for the last-minute suspension of Mary Jane’s execution on Wednesday.

Reporters chased his coaster van when Aquino was leaving the Cemex plant in Naga City, south Cebu where he had just inaugurated a cement plant.

He briefly answered questions after rolling down the van window, but was hesitant to comment, saying he didn’t hear the interview with the Veloso family himself.

In a press briefing in Mactan Air Base, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma said the President did not directly claim credit for the suspension of Veloso’s execution.

Coloma said it was not important who gets the credit but that Veloso’s life was spared. He said many believe the reprieve was a “miracle” so therefore credit should perhaps be given to the “mercy of God”.

Coloma said it was not bad to acknowledge the contributions made toward the effort, and the “convergence of all efforts of Filipinos”.

But he pointed out that Veloso “ïs not yet totally free as she is still a convict sitting on death row.”

“There should be enough basis to change her status. The building up of the case against the human and drug traccicking syndicate is the most decisive step towards gaining clemency for Mary Jane,” said Coloma.

Last Wednesday, Indonesian Attorney  General HM Prasetyo said an exception was made for Veloso “because there was a last-minute plea from the Philippine president.  There was someone who surrendered today.  She claimed she was the one who recruited Mary Jane.”

In Naga city, President Aquino yesterday said that with the surrender of Veloso’s alleged recuiter, a close family friend, the government may be able to identify and run after members of the syndicate.

The recruiter Maria Kristina Sergio is now undergoing preliminary investigation after being charged with swindling, estafa and illegal recruitment.

“Hahabulin natin hanggang kung saan umabot ‘yong ebidensiya para ma-prosecute yong mga nagkasala.  Baka maituro na rin ang ibang linkages, the foreigner who passed the drugs. Baka we might get leads, we might be able to capture them or other members of the syndicate”.

The President, however, admitted it’s not within his power to free or commute the sentence of Veloso, a single mother of two from Nueva  Ecija, who had gone to Indonesia in 2010 to work as a domestic helper.

Indonesia sentenced her to death on charges of drug smuggling.

“Hindi natin desisyon yan eh. Sa pagkaintindi ko, wala namn talagang  discretion,” he said, “may dala kang druga, ikaw ang nagpasok, my death penalty”, he said.

(It’s not our decision to make.  As I understand it, we really have no discretion.   If you bring in drugs to Indonesia and you were responsible for it, you get the death penalty.)

President Aquino declined to comment on the Veloso family’s critical remarks about his administration being slow to act on their daughter’s plight, and for allegedly taking undue credit for the last-minute suspension of her execution.

“I  did not hear it from them,” said Aquino yesterday.

“I  can’t comment intelligently. But I think we did what we could. We were not involved in the creation of the problem,” the President said in the ambush interview.

He pointed out that Veloso was arrested in April 2010, before he was elected  President.

Asked how the government extended help, Aquino cited the legal counsel provided, intercessions made with President Joko Widodo, the foreign minister, and bringing the Veloso family to Indonesia.

He said the government might be able to identify and arrest the members of the syndicate who victimized Veloso.

“Hahabulin natin hanggang kung saan umabot ‘yong ebidensiya para ma-prosecute yong mga nagkasala.

Baka maituro na rin ang ibang linkages, the foreigner who passed the drugs. Baka we might get leads, we might be able to capture them or other members of the syndicate”.

The President, however, admitted it’s not within his power to free or commute the sentence of Veloso.

“Hindi natin desisyon yan eh. Sa pagkaintindi ko, wala namn talagang  discretion, may dala kang druga, ikaw ang nagpasok, may  death penalty”, he said.

The Jakarta Post reported that Indonesian president Widodo denied that the decision to call off the execution was made because the Philippine government made a phone call minutes before the planned execution.

Widodo said he had discussed the issue with President Aquino on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, Aquino proposed to the Indonesian government that Veloso be turned into a witness to identify the criminal group that used her to transport illegal drugs.

Then came the surrender of Sergio, the alleged recruiter.

Upon news of the stay in execution, Indonesia’s Attorney General Tony Spontana said President Aquino’s request was instrumental in  the granting of the reprieve.

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