THE Philippines has sought executive clemency for Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino on death row in Indonesia for drug-related charges, Malacañang said yesterday.
Veloso has been in jail since 2010. Veloso was meted the death penalty in October 2010 and was granted a stay of execution in April 2015.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo met with his counterpart, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, in Jakarta last Sunday. Manalo and Angeles are part of the delegation of President Marcos Jr. who was on a state visit in Indonesia from September 4 to 6.
Marcos flew to Singapore yesterday, also for a state visit, and is expected to be back in Manila today.
Angeles, in a video message, said the Indonesian foreign minister promised to consult the Ministry of Justice about the matter.
She added that the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has been providing consular assistance to Veloso since she was arrested in 2010.
“Ayon sa kanila ay nasa mabuting kalagayan siya sa Wonosari Women’s Penitentiary in Yogyakarta. Ikinuha din siya ng abogado ng ayon sa batas ng Indonesia ng tuluyang maprotektahan si Ms. Veloso (According to them she is in good condition at the Wonosari Women’s Penitentiary in Yogyakarta. A lawyer has been assigned to her in accordance with Indonesia’s laws to ensure the continued protection of Ms. Veloso),” she said.
A DFA statement echoed this, saying that the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta has retained the services of an Indonesian law firm to serve as counsel for Veloso while the embassy remains in regular contact with her, in coordination with Indonesian authorities.
“Based on the last communication of the Philippine Embassy officials, Ms. Veloso was in relatively good health at the Wonosari Women’s Penitentiary in Yogyakarta, where she is currently detained,” the DFA also said.
Prior to Marcos’ state visit, Veloso’s parents appealed to the President to help bring her back to the country.
‘PRODUCTIVE’ TRIP
Marcos is expected to bring home some $8.484 billion worth of pledges and potential investments from his state visit to Indonesia.
Angeles said agreements and pledges signed during the state visit were worth around $822 million in investments in textiles and garments, renewable energy, satellite gateway, wire global technology, and agrifood; $7 billion in infrastructure for unsolicited private-public partnerships such as a C-5 4-level elevated expressway; and $662 million trade value for supply of coal and fertilizer.
She said at least 7,000 new jobs for Filipinos are expected to be generated from these investments.
Marcos, during a meeting with the business sector in Indonesia on Monday, declared that the Philippines is “now open for business” as he underscored his administration’s efforts to address macroeconomic fundamentals by improving the bureaucratic efficiency, refining fiscal management, promoting job-generating investments, ensuring energy security, and investing in the Filipino people by increasing their employability, encouraging research and development, and embracing innovation and enhancing the digital economy.
The President, in an interview with media before he left for Singapore yesterday, also described his state visit to Indonesia as “more productive than we had expected” as all subjects that he wanted to talk with the Indonesian government had been discussed.
SINGAPORE VISIT
The President flew to Singapore on yesterday for a state visit until today.
Like in Indonesia, his first official activity was meeting with the Filipino community, whom he thanked for their continued support.
The President reaffirmed his commitment to realize the promises he made such as the creation of more jobs. He also thanked the overseas Filipinos for being ambassadors of goodwill for their hard work and contributions not just to the Philippines but also to Singapore.
Migrant Workers Secretary Toots Ople, during the event, said there are some big companies based in Singapore that have expressed interest in hiring more Filipinos, like Facebook, while the Ministry of Health said there are interests to hire Filipino healthcare workers. She said the talks are ongoing.
Highlights of the state visit are meetings with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The Philippine President and Singaporean Prime Minister will also witness the signing of several agreements.
Marcos will also meet with the business sector.
Marcos said during his talk with Indonesian President Joko Widodo about the delimitation border agreement, he realized that the accord could be a template for the resolution of maritime border issues with other countries.
He said the Philippines may consider using its said delimitation border agreement with Indonesia in dealing with its maritime dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“Well, I think it is worthwhile to explore at the very least because it is one instance that this kind of discussion, we came to a conclusion and we came to a resolution. So, we should try it,” the President said, referring to the agreement that was signed by the Philippines and Indonesia in 2014 and ratified in 2017.
The delimitation agreement sets the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) borders between the Philippines and Indonesia in the Mindanao and Celebes seas.
“Now, hopefully, it works. If it doesn’t work, I will try something else, but at least we have a beginning point. That’s how I see it,” Marcos said when asked if he would use it in dealing with China.
The Philippines and China have overlapping maritime claims with the latter claiming over 80 percent of the South China Sea including parts of the WPS that is within the Philippines’ EEZ.
