Editorial board (The Jakarta Post)
PREMIUM
Jakarta ● Mon, September 5 2022
The new Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr is expected to arrive in Jakarta today for a three-day visit, as part of his tour to introduce himself to fellow ASEAN leaders. But more than just a courtesy visit, Bongbong will carry a more pressing agenda when meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, namely to save a Filipino citizen from execution.
Yogyakarta District Court sentenced Mary Jane Veloso to death in October 2010 after finding her guilty of trafficking heroin in April of that year. Then president Benigno Aquino III rescued her from the death squad in April 2015 in the very last minutes, after he phoned President Jokowi. Her execution was delayed but the death sentence remains.
Mary Jane can hope for pardon or clemency from Jokowi as a last resort and Bongbong can convince Jokowi that she deserves it, although the Philippines under Bongbong’s predecessor Rodrigo Duterte saw a more brutal fight against drugs than Indonesia. The Jokowi administration has since 2017 suspended executions following pressures from outside and within.
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Source: thejakartapost.com
