TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - Migrante International, a non-governmental organization of the Philippines, which focuses on migrant workers, stated that they have found evidence of human trafficking, which overrides the narcotics case of death row convict Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso in Indonesia.
Secretary General of Migrante International, Sol Pillas, stated via an e-mail that there were positive developments in the legal proceedings against those who were allegedly recruited Mary Jane. The Philippine's Justice Department made some sort of resolution, in which the contents are the findings to indict Maria Kristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao with criminal charges of illegally recruiting Mary Jane. "This is a positive development for the campaign of liberation of Mary Jane," he said, Monday, July 13, 2015.
Migrante International continues to await trial against Maria Kristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao and possibly Mary Jane will become a witness in the trial. Migrant labor activists today continue to campaign demanding the death sentence against Mary Jane to be immediately abolished.
Referring to the data provided by Migrante International, the Philippine's Justice Department found evidence to indict Maria Kristina Sergio and Lacanilao as Mary Jane illegal recruiters. Both are accused of violating the Law on Migrant Workers Philippines in 1995. Maria Kristina Sergio and Lacanilao do not hold a permit to recruit migrant workers through the Philippine labor code.
The Philippine's Justice Department also cited Lacanilao as the person who introduced Mary Jane to Mary Kristina Sergio. Maria Kristina then promised her to be able to work as a house maid in Malaysia to Mary Jane. The promise to Mary Jane was that she will receive a monthly salary of 25,000 pesos. This proves conclusively that there was a crime or fraud against Mary Jane. The mother of two children even have to give up his cell phone and pawn their belongings to raise money up to 7,000 pesos. This money was allegedly to pay half the migrant workers recruitment fees.
The Ministry of Justice stated that the act of Maria Kristina Sergio and Lacanilao violated the Anti-Human Trafficking Act. Violation of the law occurred when a person illegally recruited and exploited workers. This is evidenced by a number of findings. Due to the actions of Sergio and Maria Kristina Lacanilao, Mary Jane was framed for narcotics haul in a suitcase. The impact was the threat of a death sentence against Mary Jane.
The Justice Department's findings was related to a report from the National Bureau of Investigation Division of Anti-Human Trading of the Philippines. The report came from Mary Jane's complainant as a victim of human trafficking.
Maria Kristina Sergio and Lacanilao currently are still detained. The trial against them is scheduled to take place on July 21, 2015 in the Philippines.
Mary Jane was arrested on charges of carrying heroin weighing 2.6 kilograms at Adisucipto airport in Yogyakarta, on 25 April 2010. Mary Jane flew wth AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Yogyakarta. She, who is a Filipino, was working as a domestic worker in Indonesia.
In October 2010, she was sentenced to death. President Joko Widodo rejected her clemency on December 30, 2014. On October 11, 2010, the District Court of Sleman, Yogyakarta, gave a death sentence to Mary Jane.
SHINTA MAHARANI
