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The family of Mary Jane Veloso will be placed under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) after they sought government help following harassment of unidentified armed men near their home in Nueva Ecija.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Virgilio Mendez told lawmakers at a joint hearing of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, and the Oversight Committee on Dangerous Drugs, that they sent a team from their office in Cabanatuan immediately after receiving information about suspicious armed men near the Veloso residence.
“We learned that the husband of Mary Jane together with two kids, are already in the custody of Migrante. It was relayed to us this morning, today they will be turned over to NBI and they will be covered by WPP just to ensure their safety,” Mendez said.
Mendez faced the panel along with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who said the government continues to seek maximum executive clemency for Veloso. It has been providing the Indonesian government updates on her case against her recruiters in the Philippines.
De Lima said the Indonesian government has not imposed a timeline on the case of Veloso in the Philippines.
“We submit to Indonesian authorities, especially to my counterpart. I gave him an update last May 19 and provided him a comprehensive progress report of results,” De Lima said.
However, De Lima said they have an internal timeline which she refused to divulge.
De Lima said Veloso will be needed to testify in the cases against her recruiter.
“Kailangan siya sa trial, that’s the time kailangan siya mag-testify. She is the complaining witness, the private complainant. The incident concerned, facts in the case, are within the personal knowledge of Mary Jane. It is only Mary Jane who can testify on material facts,” she said.
The need for cooperation was one of the reasons why Veloso was granted reprieve, De Lima told lawmakers.
“Remember, Mary Jane Veloso’s execution was supposed to have been set April 29….,” she said.
Veloso claimed to be a victim of a drug syndicate. She maintains that she didn’t know the contents of the luggage.
De Lima said the thrust of the mutual legal assistance (MLA) request is to confirm the allegations of Veloso.
“We also need the help of Indonesia and Malaysia because Malaysia served as transiting point. Formally and informally, we’re definitely doing serious stuff of investigation. Through MLA requests, our counterparts, both in Indonesia and Malaysia, are helping to track down that group pf African-looking men who Veloso dealt with,” she said.
So far, De Lima said cases have been filed against Veloso’s alleged recruiters, Maria Cristina Sergio, Julius Lacanilao and a certain Ike, who is suspected to be a member of the West African drug syndicate.
Sergio and Lacanilao, who were just in protective custody, are now under detention because of a warrant of arrest. The two of them were transferred to PNP BJMP Nueva Ecija Provincial Jail yesterday.
De Lima said they are cooperating with Veloso’s Indonesian lawyers.
Noel Fernandez of the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs told the panel that worldwide, 1,288 Filipinos are facing drug offenses. Forty-one were meted the death penalty. Of the 41, 18 are in Malaysia, 21 in China, and 1 in Saudi Arabia and Veloso in Indonesia.
He explained that the DFA always provides legal assistance regardless of the offense charged. They hire lawyers to ensure that Filipinos’ rights are protected.
Text: RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
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