MANILA
The Filipino people’s exultation over the reprieve of Mary Jane Veloso from death by firing squad in Indonesia was brief. Ironically, it was cut short by her own family.
Veloso was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia and sentenced to die. Before her scheduled execution in early May, her family visited her to say goodbye. She got a last-second reprieve from Indonesia President Joko Widodo.
Once the Veloso family got back on Philippine soil from Indonesia, they spoiled the nation’s rejoicing over the reprieve by hurling angry words against President Aquino. They accused him of not helping Mary Jane escape her death punishment.
Mary Jane’s mother was blistering in her accusations, and vowing “payback.” It’s hard to fathom what she meant by that. In any case, her venomous statements have left a bad taste in the mouth.
As Mary Jane’s execution loomed near, the whole Philippines stormed the heavens for her salvation. And it seemed to work. President Widodo listened.
He heeded President Aquino’s plea to save Veloso’s life. The Indonesians said so themselves, that it was the pleading of Aquino that persuaded them to defer Mary Jane’s execution and give way first to the prosecution of her alleged Filipino recruiter to work overseas.
It’s clear that without Aquino’s intercession, the reprieve wouldn’t have been granted. So give credit where it’s due.
And yet, the Velosos omitted Aquino’s name from the list of people and entities that they thanked after Mary Jane’s life was spared. And most unfair were the vitriolic words that gushed from the mouth of the Veloso mother. Next to dishonesty, ingratitude is the worst of all faults.
Here are Mrs. Veloso’s words: “Dumating na kami dito sa Pilipinas para maningil ng pautang sa gobyerno natin, dahil hanggang sa huli ay niloko pa rin kami. Ibinalita nya [referring to President Aquino] sa buong mundo na sa kanila nanggagaling ang pagkabuhay ng anak ko…. Hindi po totoo ‘yan. Kaya humanda kayo ngayon. Nandito kami para lumaban sa inyo, haharapin namin kayo.”
Not to diminish Mrs. Veloso’s capacity to come up with such a statement, but her outburst sounds like the lingo that pours out of a street protest. There seems to be a hidden influence behind her statement.
I hope I’m wrong but there appear to be hidden dynamics behind what’s happening lately in Philippine politics. Several groups, in concert or as disparate forces, appear to be positioning themselves so they can influence the 2016 elections. Or to alter current realities involving politicians who are currently in jail, charged with serious crimes and being tried in court.
It doesn’t seem to me that the Velosos, on their own, are capable of coming up with the position they’ve taken in violent opposition against the President. I think they’re being coached to deny the President what he’s due in persuading Indonesia to spare Mary Jane’s life.
I smell opposition groups working to portray Aquino as a failure in order to make him inconsequential in the 2016 campaign and to neutralize his chosen candidate, who appears to be Mar Roxas. I smell money being deployed to finance the propaganda campaign against Aquino.
I don’t know whether opposite forces from the ideological spectrum are working in concert in trying to weaken Aquino. But whether they are or not, the aim is the same: make Aquino a lameduck and, as a consequence, make him impotent in pushing his candidate of choice for president and enhance their own choice’s chances.
I hope the Veloso’s will wake up to the possibility that they’re being used by forces who are out to erode Aquino’s popularity. The Velosos, on their own, are not savvy enough to be able to come up with such venomous words. And they’re not, on their own, gutsy enough to hurl challenges against the president of the land.
In any case, even if there’s no such plotting against the President, at the very least, the ingratitude embedded in Mrs. Veloso’s vitriol was totally uncalled for.
I suppose after some reflection, or advice from her militant handlers, Mrs. Veloso apologized for her intemperate words. But they had already left a bad taste in the mouth.