‘Gov’t exerting every effort’

This is to clarify some questions raised in the editorial “An old, tragic story” (3/23/15).

One of the points raised was: “Why did it take the government so long to come to the defense of [Mary Jane] Veloso, who was arrested in May 2010 and sentenced to life imprisonment barely six months later? There was no news about her at all until Indonesian President Joko Widodo restored the death penalty for drug offenses. Isn’t it the sworn duty of foreign affairs officials to look after Filipinos abroad, especially given the government’s labor export policy?

As I mentioned during my April 10 press briefing—which your paper reported—as early as 2011, after the trial court declared Ms. Veloso guilty, President Aquino wrote a letter to then Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asking for clemency. The secretary of foreign affairs has also been involved in the case, making representations on behalf of the government and Ms Veloso.

In addition, the government has also been investigating the possibility of drug-syndicate involvement. The Department of Foreign Affairs has coordinated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to secure information from Ms Veloso regarding the circumstances of her arrest, and the National Bureau of Investigation has filed a complaint for illegal recruitment, human trafficking and estafa against her recruiters, two of whom are now in police custody.

As these facts show, the government has been actively engaged in the case of Ms Veloso, and has not simply been making “last-minute appeals.”

The editorial also raised other points: “While Indonesia can hardly be faulted for insisting that other countries respect its laws, what would it take for our government to make sure that our OFWs are amply reminded about the laws of their receiving countries, instead of scrambling at the last minute, when all judicial avenues had been exhausted and the gallows all but set up?

“Has the government done everything it can to make sure that departing OFWs are familiar with the modus operandi of international drug syndicates, who take advantage of people’s desperation and, in Veloso’s case, naivete?”

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration regularly puts out advertisements warning jobseekers to transact only with authorized representatives of licensed recruitment agencies. They have also partnered with the PDEA to conduct general, public-wide campaigns advising local communities to avoid drug syndicates. In addition, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s predeparture orientations for OFWs also provide information on how to avoid becoming an unwitting drug courier or human trafficking victim.

As any Filipino who travels will recall, standard security questions are asked upon check-in, including whether passengers packed their luggage themselves, and whether they are carrying anything dangerous or illegal.

The government continues to exert every effort to ensure the safety of our citizens, both here and abroad.

—ABIGAIL VALTE, deputy presidential spokesperson, Malacañang