(Eagle News) — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Oct. 11, denied a media report another Filipina was on death row for drug smuggling.
The Inquirer in particular quoted Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Leehiong Wee as saying it was monitoring the situation of the Filipina in Semarang, Central Java.
In a statement, the DFA said only Mary Jane Veloso, who is detained in a prison in Yogyakarta, was given the death sentence after being convicted of engaging in illegal drug activities.
“There is a Filipino in prison in Semarang but she is serving a life sentence for illegal drugs-related crimes,” the DFA said.
Meanwhile, Veloso, who was found guilty of carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin, was healthy and in good spirits, the DFA said.
In fact, the DFA said she was visited by her family last month, and she “expressed her gratitude” for such.
Veloso was arrested and sentenced to death for allegedly smuggling illegal drugs in 2010 but was spared from the gallows after former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono approved a moratorium on capital punishment.
She was set again to be executed in 2015 but was granted reprieve after her alleged trafficker had surrendered to the police.
Veloso claimed she had no idea that the suitcase given to her by her recruiters contained 2.6 kilograms of heroin. With a report from PNA