Migrante International: Mary Jane Veloso May Be Executed Next Week

Convicted Filipina worker in Indonesia, Mary Jane Veloso may be executed next week after almost three months of temporary reprieve, according to Filipino migrant group who are aware of the case.

The report was still being verified according to the Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose yesterday.

Abs-cbn reported that Sarangani Congressman and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who heads the House committee on migrant workers, flew to Jakarta last night, supposedly on business trip.

The Indonesian government is expected to announce the complete names of the convicts who are scheduled to be executed by firing squad at the end of the Ramada, Migrante International said. The group added that Veloso may be included on its list.

Sol Pillas, Migrante International secretary-general, said the Indonesian government has announced the execution of convicts on death row, including Frenchman Serge Atlaoui who, like Veloso, was only given temporary reprieve.

Pillas said, an appeal for clemency for Atlaoui was recently rejected by the Indonesian government.

Migrante International urge the Philippine government to fast-track the resolution of cases that will prove Veloso’s innocence to ensure that she will be spared from the scheduled execution next week

Asked about the report, Jose told The STAR in a text message that “we have to verify that first with concerned authorities.”

“Mary Jane remains on the brink of death for as long as the death sentence is not lifted. It is incumbent upon the Department of Justice and the Philippine government to act with considerable haste and urgency and to regularly updates its counterpart, the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office (AGO), and the Veloso family on the developments of the cases filed against Sergio et al,” she said.

According to her Indonesian colleagues, Pillas said Veloso’s reprieve is only temporary and the Indonesian court has yet to be updated on any development of the legal cases related to Veloso’s case.

“It has been more than two months and they are still waiting for updates. Please, let us not abuse the Indonesian government’s patience and tolerance. Every minute still count,” she said.

Migrante International intends to submit a petition to the Indonesian embassy seeking to save Veloso.

The group also asks help from the Philippine government for the family of Marilyn Restor, whose body was found in morgue in Saudi Arabia several months after she was reportedly kidnapped.

The Indonesian government gave Veloso a temporary reprieve that will expire this month and her fate remains to be decided by the Indonesian court.

/ABS-CBN/Carla Gamboa/

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