Mary Jane Veloso’s Father Gets Fact-Checked After Claiming Ex-Presidents ‘Did Not Do Anything’ To Help Her

Netizens on Twitter have been calling out Cesar Veloso after he claimed in a recent news report that two previous Filipino presidents did not do anything to help free his daughter Mary Jane, who remains on death row in Yogyakarta, Indonesia for drug trafficking.

Most tweets were sent in defense of the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who made personal appeals on behalf of Veloso from the Indonesian government, including a last-ditch effort in 2015, which spared her life from a scheduled date of execution.

“Doubtful that PNoy expected gratitude in return, but most certainly not lies. He broke protocol to get that reprieve for Mary Jane Veloso. Ask the Indonesian government,” former deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte tweeted on Sept. 4. PNoy is short for President Noy.

Twitter account iMPACT Leadership also shared a graphic, detailing the efforts made by the Aquino government, beginning on Aug. 23, 2011 when he sent his first letter of clemency addressed to then Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono requesting pardon for Mary Jane.

Aquino reiterated the same requests to current Indonesian President Joko Widodo, including an appeal for a judicial review of the case, between Jan. 22, 2015 and towards the end of April 2015, when the convicted Filipina drug mule narrowly escaped death by firing squad.

The information was lifted from the records of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which pieced together a timeline of her case from April 22, 2010, the day Mary Jane left the country to become a domestic helper, to April 29, 2015, the day it was announced that the Indonesian government has granted her a stay of execution, as published in the Official Gazette.

The events chronicled between April 27 to 29, 2015 were crucial as Aquino and Widodo managed to discuss the issue while in the thick of attending the 26th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Aquino’s “protocol break” moment came on April 28, 2015 – the original date of Mary Jane’s execution – when he called Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Langkawi, Malaysia, as the Indonesian Supreme Court rejected the Philippines’ appeals for a judicial review of her case.

In international politics and diplomacy, Aquino’s conversation with Marsudi was considered odd because the former was only expected to deal with his counterparts. Aquino had been working closely with then DFA secretary Albert del Rosario to make the phone call happen as Marsudi was their only way to reach Widodo, who already went home at the time.

Addressing the members of the Philippine media delegation, Aquino said he played the “dying person’s declaration” card when he spoke with Marsudi to propose the idea of turning Mary Jane from a “convicted drug mule” into a “primary witness” instead.

“When I was talking to the foreign minister, they were asking (about) the lateness of this suggestion, and I tried to explain as best as possible that all of these things have come to our knowledge—these particular details—only in the last few days, and some of these new avenues happened just today, especially the idea of ‘isn’t it better to get the drug syndicate itself rather than the person who was used as a mule?’” Aquino told reporters on April 28, 2015.

At that point, significant developments that could prove the innocence of Mary Jane were just coming to light, including her illegal recruiters – Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao – finally submitting themselves to Philippine law enforcement authorities.

According to Mary Jane, she was tricked into bringing 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage while on her way to Indonesia from Malaysia. She was arrested by the Customs and Excise Authorities on April 25, 2010 upon her arrival at the Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Mary Jane’s decision to formally file charges against her recruiters presented itself as the only “window” of opportunity that the Philippine government could capitalize on to serve its interests, as well as that of Indonesia’s, considering the latter's harsh laws against illegal drug trafficking.

“Kung ang habol (If what the Indonesian government is after) is (to) solve the drug problem… She (Mary Jane) does present an opportunity… to be able to uncover all the participants and start the process of bringing them to the bars of justice. But absent her, [it] becomes very difficult to cut an impossible proposition,” Aquino explained.

Other behind-the-scenes details of his government’s “last minute” quest to save Mary Jane through a fourth signed letter of appeal to Widodo were also revealed in a Twitter thread published last June 18 by Aquino’s former close-in-aide Raf Ignacio.

“The moment PNoy signed the letter, the DFA faxed the letter to FM (foreign minister) Marsudi’s office. That was about 2 (a.m.) This happened so late that the headlines the following day said that MJ (Mary Jane) was executed, but she was actually spared,” Ignacio said.

“It wasn’t that long ago that the Philippine president went through great lengths to save a person’s life, especially the life of one that was a victim of the drug trade,” the former Palace staffer added, recalling how “time was of the essence” during those periods.

Aquino became a trending topic on the microblogging site after an ABS-CBN News report quoted the elder Veloso as saying their family is now pinning their hopes on incumbent President Marcos for the emancipation of Mary Jane.

“Talagang pinaglalaban po namin ‘yan, sana huwag naman niya po pababayaan dahil pangatlong presidente na po siya. Ang dalawa walang nagawa. Ang pag-asa na lang namin, siya (Marcos),” We keep on fighting for it. We hope he (Marcos, Jr.) won’t let us down because he is already the third president. The previous two did not do anything. Our only hope is him,” Cesar said.

Some netizens tried to understand his sentiments as a desperate father, yet they also could not help but feel he was being a “ungrateful” for suggesting that past presidents, including Aquino, did not extend any effort to help his daughter.

The irony of the situation is that Aquino already died on June 24, 2021 due to renal disease secondary to diabetes, while Mary Jane is still alive although in prison, after being granted a temporary reprieve by the Indonesian government under Widodo’s orders at the 11th hour.  

Aquino’s immediate successor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, opted not to intervene on the Mary Jane Veloso case during his administration. Indonesian officials even reported that he gave them a ‘go ahead’ signal to proceed with her execution, which the DFA denied.

Marcos was in Indonesia for a state visit last Sept. 4 to 6, and the Velosos were hoping he would seek executive clemency on humanitarian grounds for the Filipina death row inmate during his bilateral meeting with counterpart President Joko Widodo on Monday, Sept. 5 in Bogor City.

Malacañang through Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, however, said she could not confirm whether the Veloso case was indeed discussed during the two leaders’ meeting, adding that the issue was being left for the DFA to resolve.