Cilacap – An NGO activist has said that Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, a Philippine death row inmate convicted on drug trafficking charges, is only a poor woman, with two children in her home country, who departed for Malaysia to work as a domestic helper.

"Mary Jane is a young mom of two children left in the Philippines. She has been known as a poor citizen in the country," Cony Regalado, a migrant worker activist from the Philippines, said as quoted by kompas.com.

She was speaking during a rally to protest Veloso's imminent execution, held in front of Wijaya Pura quay in Cilacap, Central Java, on Sunday.

At the rally, Regalado urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to reconsider a second case review (PK) over Veloso's death sentence ruled by the Yogyakarta District Court. Veloso's legal team filed a PK for the second time recently after its first review request was rejected by President Jokowi.

"We are calling on President Jokowi to review again the second PK suggestion filed at the Sleman District Court on Friday. This is because we strongly believe that Mary Jane was a trafficking victim, who was deceived by Kristina, a Malaysian citizen," said Regalado.

The activist said Veloso, who was promised employment as a domestic helper in Malaysia, was ordered by Kristina to bring a suitcase said to contain used clothes to Yogyakarta – She said Veloso was not aware that the suitcase contained narcotics as she did not check its contents prior to her departure.

"Mary was deceived by a real drug trafficking leader from Malaysia, who claimed to be a migrant worker recruitment agent in Malaysia," said Ragalado, adding that she and migrant worker activists from several countries would strive to save Veloso from execution. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/26/veloso-a-poor-woman-has-two-children-ngo.html