Floramay Ladrillano : Mary Jane and Cristina knew each other

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Since Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta, Floramay Ladrillano often recalls the day Mary Jane left the Philippines. As her neighbor at Esguerra village in Talavera, Floramay knows well the ways of Mary Jane, always taking her eldest son Mark Daniel to school every day. "She really took care of her children's education," Floramay told Tempo contributor Suryo Wibowo, last week.

Later in the day, Mary Jane and her husband Michael Candelaria would go around the village selling plastic household goods. Mary Jane was always cheerful, always greeting her neighbors. "She liked to say good morning or good afternoon," recalled Floramay, 29, a cousin of Michael and an elementary school teacher. But Mary Jane's and Michael's business did not go well. She was offered a chance to work in Malaysia by a neighbor, Maria Cristina Sergio.

What do you remember of Mary Jane?

She loved her kids, always sending money to her family when she worked in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She also cares for her nieces and nephews.

Are you convinced she was involved in dealing drugs?

No. She was a good person, never had problems with her neighbors.

How did she become close to Cristina?

Her financial difficulties drew her to Cristina when Mary Jane was offered a job overseas. Mary Jane happened to like fashion and beauty and Cristina sold lotions and shampoo made in Malaysia. Mary Jane wanted to sell those kinds of goods too. Their homes were also close to each other. So, they had known each other for some time.

What compelled Mary Jane to work overseas?

After she gave birth to her second child, Mary Jane had financial problems. What her husband brought home wasn't enough. It was then that Cristina offered Mary Jane the chance to work overseas. She promised Mary Jane she could leave in four days' time.

Who is this Cristina?

She's not really from that area. She showed up six years ago to live with Julius Lacanilao, but she was evasive about her past. Some said she's originally from Visayas in the south. Others said Cristina had seven kids from different men. What is clear, before the Mary Jane case happened, Cristina had traveled back and forth to Malaysia.

What did she do?

I would see Cristina speaking to a lot of people. To her neighbors, she claimed to have once worked as a government employee. At another time, she also said she held a cum laude degree from a university, but which one was unclear. I personally didn't believe her.

What happened after Mary Jane was arrested?

Cristina went back to the Philippines four days after Mary Jane was arrested. But she never spoke a word about the arrest. In fact, she claimed to have recruited Mary Jane to work overseas. That was a lie.

When did Mary Jane's family find out she had been arrested?

Mary Jane called her family about one month after her arrest. A kind-hearted Indonesian policeman lent her his cellphone to make the call. She didn't immediately tell them about her arrest because at that time her father was celebrating his birthday. (*)