By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
The suspected recruiter of a Filipina awaiting execution as early as late Tuesday in Indonesia has surrendered to Philippine police, according to local media.
Maria Kristina Sergio turned herself over to a police station in Cabanatuan City out of fear for her life after being tagged as the recruiter who allegedly facilitated Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso’s entry into Indonesia, radio DZMM reported.
Veloso is among eight foreigners and one Indonesian set to face the firing squad on Nusa Kambangan penal island after they were issued 72-hour execution notices Saturday.
Veloso, a single mother of two sons who sought work in Malaysia as a maid, was arrested while smuggling 2.6 kilograms of heroin at Yogyakarta airport, Java island, in April 2010.
Her family and migrant rights groups have insisted that she is an innocent human trafficking victim and was tricked into smuggling the drugs by the wife of a family friend who promised her a job in Indonesia.
Sergio was reportedly with her partner and fellow recruiter, Julius Lacanilao, when she went to the police at around 10 a.m. Tuesday. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Sergio expressed fears that she could be harmed by Veloso’s relatives and supporters if the inmate is executed.
The surrender comes after the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation filed a complaint Monday against Sergio, Lacanilao and another suspect identified as an African national known as Ike to the Department of Justice for illegal recruitment, human trafficking and estafa.
Last week, Sergio denied her involvement in a drug syndicate and allegations of her role in the drugs found in Veloso’s luggage on ABS-CBN News.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III had asked his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo for clemency for Veloso on the sidelines of the 26th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia on Monday.
The Philippines’ communications secretary said in a statement that Aquino had asked for “humanitarian consideration for Mary Jane Veloso who was apparently duped into being an unwitting carrier of illegal drugs.”
Rappler reported that Herminio Coloma Jr. said, “President Widodo was sympathetic and was consulting with the Indonesian Attorney General on the legal issues. President Widodo promised to resume the conversation with President Aquino later today.”
Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi had confirmed the short meeting, but did not address the possible results regarding Veloso’s sentencing.
