MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang Palace on Monday, September 12 denied reports that President Rodrigo Duterte has given his “go-ahead” signal to execute Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina convict on death row for alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
The controversial news spread like wildfire online after Jakarta Post published a report titled “Duterte has given the green light for Mary Jane's execution: Jokowi.”
Quoting Duterte as telling Indonesian President Joko Widodo during their meeting, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said: "Follow your own laws. I will not interfere.”
Abella clarified that Duterte didn’t endorse the execution of Veloso and only stated that he would not interfere with Indonesia’s legal processes.
Department of Foreign Affair Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., who insisted that Veloso’s execution has been “indefinitely deferred,” said that Duterte told the Indonesian President that he respected their judicial processes and will accept their government’s final decision on Veloso’s case.
Prior to his meeting with Widodo, Duterte said he was ready to accept Veloso’s fate stating that he doesn’t doubt the judicial system of Indonesia.
''I might just accept the system and plead for mercy but if President Widodo will deny it, still I would be grateful that she had been treated very well. After all, we have our laws to follow,” Duterte said.
The tough-talking President, who is pushing for the reinstatement of death penalty as capital punishment in the Philippines, also revealed that he wouldn’t know how to react if he were in Widodo’s shoes.
Veloso, who was supposed to be executed by firing squad on April 2015 for smuggling heroin in the country, was spared at the 11th hour after her alleged recruiter who supposedly tricked her to carry drugs to Indonesia surrendered herself to authorities in the Philippines.
--Mini, The Summit Express
The controversial news spread like wildfire online after Jakarta Post published a report titled “Duterte has given the green light for Mary Jane's execution: Jokowi.”
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| PHOTO CREDIT: ABS-CBN News |
Abella clarified that Duterte didn’t endorse the execution of Veloso and only stated that he would not interfere with Indonesia’s legal processes.
Department of Foreign Affair Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., who insisted that Veloso’s execution has been “indefinitely deferred,” said that Duterte told the Indonesian President that he respected their judicial processes and will accept their government’s final decision on Veloso’s case.
Prior to his meeting with Widodo, Duterte said he was ready to accept Veloso’s fate stating that he doesn’t doubt the judicial system of Indonesia.
''I might just accept the system and plead for mercy but if President Widodo will deny it, still I would be grateful that she had been treated very well. After all, we have our laws to follow,” Duterte said.
The tough-talking President, who is pushing for the reinstatement of death penalty as capital punishment in the Philippines, also revealed that he wouldn’t know how to react if he were in Widodo’s shoes.
Veloso, who was supposed to be executed by firing squad on April 2015 for smuggling heroin in the country, was spared at the 11th hour after her alleged recruiter who supposedly tricked her to carry drugs to Indonesia surrendered herself to authorities in the Philippines.
--Mini, The Summit Express
