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Pacquiao begs Indonesian leader Joko Widodo to save OFW Veloso

Mary Jane Veloso, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), was arrested in 2010 by Indonesian authorities after they found 2.6 kilos of heroin in her suitcase.

Veloso denied owning the package containing the illegal drug saying she wasn’t aware of its contents as she was just asked to carry it by her recruiter.

Veloso, who only made it to her first year high school, did not fully understand the questions being asked during the proceedings as she was provided only with a student translator.

Also, she was reported to have been denied the services of a competent lawyer when she was interrogated by the police in Bahasa, Indonesia. Read more about Veloso’s case in a report by Rappler here.

After a quick trial, prosecutors asked that Veloso be sentenced to life imprisonment but the judges handed the death penalty instead.

In his appeal, Pacquiao said: “His Excellency, President Joko Widodo, I am Manny Pacquiao. On behalf of my countryman, Mary Jane Veloso, and the entire Filipino people, I am begging and knocking on your kind heart that Your Excellency will grant executive clemency to her by sparing her life and saving her life from execution.”

Pacquiao also told Widodo that it would be a great morale booster for him on his upcoming fight against Floyd Mayweather if he can save a life by granting his request of clemency for Veloso.

“Mr President, on May 2nd, I’ll be fighting in Las Vegas, Nevada, against Floyd Mayweather. It is considered the fight of the century. It will be a great morale booster if, in my own little way, I can save a life. I am dedicating this fight to my country and the entire Asian people, to which the Philippines and Indonesia belong. Thank you, Mr President,” Pacquiao said.

The Philippine government had already filed a second appeal to the Indonesian court to review the case, arguing “Veloso is a victim of human trafficking and does not deserve the death penalty.”

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