·      Ms. Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso left for Malaysia to work as a domestic helper. She was recruited by her neighbor, Maria Cristina Sergio, a.k.a. Tintin, a town mate. After a few days in Kuala Lumpur, Ms. Sergio asked her to Indonesia to meet Ms. Sergio’s friend in Yogyakarta. Ms. Veloso acceded as she was afraid to be left on her own in a hotel with mostly male African nationals.

·      According to Ms. Veloso, Ms. Sergio replaced her bag with a bigger bag shortly before her departure for Yogyakarta. This was to accommodate the new clothes given to her by Ms. Sergio as gifts.

·      After 3 days in Kuala Lumpur, on April 25, Ms. Veloso left for Yogyakarta.

·      DFA endorsed to Jakarta PE the request of Ms. Laurente and requested for Jakarta PE to send updated developments on the case.

·      Jakarta PE also reported that it was informed by the Prosecutor that a hearing would be held in the District Court of Yogyakarta.

·      Both Ms. Veloso and the Philippine Embassy representative were able to talk with Ms. Veloso’s mother over the phone.

·      Ms. Veloso, through her lawyer, submitted a Letter of Intent to Appeal to the same court to signify her intention to appeal the death penalty to the Court of Appeals of Yogyakarta.

·      Embassy representative conducted two visits in October 2010.

·      Jakarta PE representative, together with the private lawyer, travelled to Yogyakarta to secure Ms. Veloso’s signature for the Special Power of Attorney (SPA) to file her Memorandum of Appeal.

·      Three family members of Ms. Veloso were able to visit Ms. Veloso. This initial trip of the family and all expenses were provided for by “friends” of Mary Jane from Yogyakarta Penitentiary.

·      Throughout 2013, Jakarta PE continuously monitored the condition of Ms. Veloso through phone calls to the jail officials.

*Note: President Aquino’s appeal for clemency for Ms. Veloso was not decided upon during the term of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

19 Jan 2015

·      Jakarta PE informed the Indonesian Foreign Ministry of the said filing.

·      Ms. Veloso’s name was already included as the 11^th in the death row list prior to the preemptive moves made by the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta and Atty. Rudyantho.   Indonesia plans to execute 20 death convicts this year.

·      Jakarta PE representatives visited Ms. Veloso at the Penitentiary. She was relieved over the developments in her case. She was assured of the Philippine Government’s continued full support and was informed that her lawyer had already filed the petition for Judicial Review.

·      During the courtesy call of Indonesian President Joko Widodo on President Aquino, the latter once again appealed the case of Mary Jane.

·      During the call, the Prosecutor informed Ms. Veloso’s family that the documents of the case are still with the Supreme Court. She also said that Ms. Veloso’s name will remain in the list of prisoners to be executed until a final decision is reached on the Petition for Judicial Review.

·      Ms. Veloso was emotional when she met her family. The prison authorities allowed the family to be with Ms. Veloso from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.

·      Ms. Veloso’s family and the representatives from DFA and Jakarta PE met with Fr. Kieser again during dinner. Fr. Kieser assured Ms. Veloso’s family of his continued moral support to Ms. Veloso.

·      In Jakarta, Ms. Veloso’s family was informed by Atty. Rudyantho that they are still waiting for the Supreme Court to return all the case files to the lower court in Yogyakarta. He assured the family that he will do his best to help Ms. Veloso.

·      Embassy representatives were present during the 2-day hearing.

·      Ms. Veloso asked Secretary del Rosario for his guarantee that educational assistance will be provided for her children. The Secretary assured her this would happen.

·      During his visit with Mary Jane Veloso, he also met with the private lawyers of Ms. Veloso, the jail warden, and the spiritual counselor.

·      Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Maria Lumen Isleta briefed them on the case of Ms. Veloso. The team was advised that any information they may obtain from Ms. Veloso regarding the circumstances leading to her arrest, including the identity of the syndicate that recruited her, will be material in filing a second Judicial Review.

(Note: President Widodo later replied to President Aquino in a letter, reaffirming his stance on drug-related offenses.)

·      Atty. Rudyantho received a copy of the Supreme Court’s official decision denying the petition for judicial review filed by Rudyantho & Partners.

·      On the night of 23 April 2015, when Jakarta PE began hearing rumors that Ms. Veloso will be transferred at 10:00 pm, Embassy interpreter immediately called the jail authorities who said that Ms. Veloso is in prison and that they did not know anything about the transferring to Nusa Kambangan.

·      Likewise, a letter from the Prosecutors Office sent to Rudyantho and Partners intended for the family of Ms. Veloso and transmitted to them on April 23, only contained a general statement that the transfer of Ms. Veloso to Nusa Kambangan Island will be determined at a later date.

*Note: Jakarta PE and Mary Jane’s Counsel did not receive an official notice on the said transfer. The letter intended for Mary Jane’s family that was received from the Prosecutors Office on 23 April stated that the transfer of Mary Jane to Nusa Kambangan will be determined at a later date.

·      Ms. Veloso’s family, assisted by 2 DFA officers and by Jakarta PE’s Consul General Manalo and interpreter, left for Yogyakarta in accordance with the earlier plan to visit Ms. Veloso in Wirogunan Prison. Since Ms. Veloso had already been transferred, the entire group immediately proceeded by land travel to Cilacap, from where the ferry to Nusa Kambangan originates. (Cilacap is about 173 kilometers from Yogyakarta.)

·      The private lawyer filed the second appeal for judicial review (Fourth Appeal).

·      At about 4:00 pm, Jakarta PE received a phone call from Indonesian Foreign Ministry, inviting the Embassy to send officials to Cilacap on 25 April for a mid-day meeting about the case of Ms. Veloso. Other Embassies with nationals on death row in Nusa Kambangan Island were also asked to go to the meeting.

·      Ms. Veloso’s common law partner, Mr. Michael Candelaria, and brother, Mr. Christopher Veloso, left for Jakarta to join the other family members of Ms. Veloso, expenses paid by the government.

·      At around 11:40 p.m., Consul General Manalo of Jakarta PE, Atty. Ismail (Mary Jane’s Counsel) and other family members of Mary Jane, met with the Prosecutor for the arrangement of the family visit.

·      Visit of Family. Around 9:30 a.m., the family members, private lawyers of Ms. Veloso and Embassy representatives were brought by the Prosecutor to Ms. Veloso on Nusa Kambangan Island.

·      Ms. Veloso entrusted to a DFA representative four (4) handwritten letters to the DFA containing her messages to President Aquino, Vice President Binay, Filipino youth, Filipino women, and to those responsible for what happened to her.

·      MFA and AGO briefing for embassy representatives

At 1:30 pm, the Foreign Ministry together with representatives of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the prosecutors of death penalty convicts convened a meeting with representatives/lawyers of the embassies of Australia, Brazil, Nigeria and Philippines.

During the meeting, the technical procedures for the family visits to the island were explained.

·      Issuance of the Notice of Execution. After the meeting, the Attorney General’s Office brought the embassy representatives and lawyers to Nusa Kambangan Island where each embassy was required to meet their respective prosecutors and death penalty nationals. It was only during each embassy’s meeting that they learned that the Notice of Execution was to be handed down to the death penalty convict in the presence of their embassy representatives and lawyers.

·      Ms. Veloso’s common law partner and brother arrived in Cilacap.   Permits were secured for them to join the rest of the family in the jail visit.

·      Mary Jane clarified to her family that she intentionally gave her letters specifically to the DFA representative with a request that they be published.

·      Consul General Manalo also informed Ms. Veloso that her letter addressed to President Joko Widodo, which she gave to the Indonesian National Commission on Violence Against Women, was already circulating in the internet news media and TV news programs.

·      DFA received information from Jakarta PE that the application for 2^nd Judicial Review was denied.

·      On the sidelines of the 26^th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, President Aquino spoke personally with President Joko Widodo to appeal for the commutation of Ms. Veloso’s sentence. President Joko Widodo replied that he would respond within the same day.

·      Secretary del Rosario asked for a pull aside meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister prior to the ASEAN Retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia to follow up on the President’s request conveyed earlier in the day to President Widodo. The Indonesian Foreign Minister informed Secretary del Rosario that she already heard that the Sleman District Court had rejected the application for second Judicial Review filed by the private lawyer and that the Indonesian Attorney General was intent on pushing through with the executions on 28 April 2015.

·      Jakarta PE delivered to MFA and the Executive Office of the President of Indonesia the letter of Ms. Veloso addressed to Pres. Widodo. Post conveyed to them the urgency of having the letters reach Pres. Widodo.

·      DFA forwarded to Jakarta PE the letter of Department of Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima requesting Indonesian Attorney General Dr. H. Muhammad Prasetyo, and Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yasonna H. Laoly to suspend execution of the death sentence of Ms. Veloso in view of the materiality and importance of her testimony to the case filed against Ms. Maria Kristina P. Sergio, Mr. Julius Lacanilao and an individual known as “Ike”.

·      Before leaving Malaysia, the President asked Secretary del Rosario to call Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi to discuss the surrender of the recruiter of Mary Jane. He emphasized the importance of cooperation to seize an opportunity to go after the drug syndicate, which will be for the mutual interest of both countries. Absent Mary Jane, this would not be possible. The Philippine Government reiterated its request for a stay of the execution to conclude whatever legal process would be involved. The Indonesian Foreign Minister said she would relay this to President Widodo.

·       From the arrival of the President and his delegation Tuesday afternoon from the ASEAN summit in Malaysia to the early morning of Wednesday, internal discussions with the Indonesian government were held in an effort to have Mary Jane’s life spared. During this time, a fourth letter of appeal from the President was submitted to President Widodo.

·      At around 2:30 a.m., the DFA announced to the media, “We are relieved that the execution of Mary Jane was not carried out. The Lord has answered our prayers.”

·      At around 11:30 a.m., SFA gave a press conference where he read the statement of the DFA on the stay of execution of Mary Jane Veloso.

·      Ms. Veloso’s family returned to Yogyakarta.