BALANGA City, Bataan: The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines- Ecumenical Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI) on Tuesday described a recent decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) on the Mary Jane Veloso case painful and agonizing for the convicted Filipino drug mule. “The ruling is just an added pain and continuous agony for Mary Jane who is the unwilling victim used and duped by Sergio and Lacanilao,” CBCP-ECMI chairman and Bishop Ruperto Santos said. Santos added that Veloso is the one who must be protected and saved but that the appellate court seemed to be giving her human traffickers the leeway. “How can [Mary Jane] defend herself and prove her innocence when the CA prevented her from testifying against those who victimized her?” he asked. “Let her speak the truth and free Mary Jane,” the CBCP-ECMI demanded.

Source: Manila Times January 09, 2018 12:22 UTC