Convicted drug courier Mary Jane Veloso is preparing to testify for the first time against her two alleged illegal recruiters, according to her lawyer Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL).
Olalia, who visited the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday, May 6, with Veloso’s parents, confirmed that a case conference was held with prosecutors “in anticipation of Mary Jane’s testimony before the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court.”
Veloso is the complainant in the case against married couple Ma. Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, who face charges of qualified human trafficking, estafa, and illegal recruitment.
Olalia noted that Veloso is the “only remaining prosecution witness,” whose testimony has been delayed for years.
The case was originally filed in the Nueva Ecija RTC, but in December the Supreme Court ordered its transfer to Mandaluyong.
Sergio and Lacanilao were previously convicted in 2020 for large‑scale illegal recruitment, sentenced to life imprisonment, and fined ₱2 million following complaints from victims Lorna Valino, Ana Marie Gonzales, and Jenalyn Paraiso.
With Mother’s Day approaching on May 10, Olalia expressed hope that freedom would be the “best gift” for Veloso, who remains detained at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City.
He also urged President Marcos to grant her absolute clemency.
Olalia added that Veloso has a pending habeas corpus petition before the Supreme Court, filed last November, seeking her release.
Veloso was arrested in 2010 at Yogyakarta Airport, Indonesia, for attempting to smuggle 2.6 kilos of heroin.
She was sentenced to death but received a reprieve in 2015 after then‑President Benigno Aquino III appealed to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Veloso returned to the Philippines on Dec. 18, 2024. (Jeffrey Damicog)
