De Lima backs clemency for Veloso

In 2015, then justice secretary Leila de Lima was one of three Cabinet officials who, together with then president Benigno Aquino III, appealed to Indonesia to spare Mary Jane Veloso from execution.

- By CHRISTINE BOTON

Speaking yesterday on The STAR's online show "Truth on the Line," De Lima said Veloso was already wearing the uniform of a "dead person walking" when then Indonesian president Joko Widodo, known for his hardline stance on drug trafficking, finally granted the stay of execution at the eleventh hour.

Today De Lima is hoping for executive clemency for Veloso, who spent nearly 15 years on death row in Indonesia for bringing 2.6 kilos of heroin into Yogyakarta.

De Lima recalls rejoicing among Aquino and the two others who worked on the stay of execution: then foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario and secretary to the Cabinet Rene Almendras.

They argued that Veloso would testify against her Filipino recruiters and prove that she was a victim of human trafficking.

De Lima called on President Marcos to grant Veloso clemency, urging the government to approach the issue not from a punitive standpoint, but with a more compassionate and fair perspective.