The last-minute reprieve for Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso, a drug convict facing execution in Indonesia, came as a surprise that sparked an outpouring of euphoria and disbelief yesterday, with crowds weeping with joy and her children crying “Mama will live!”
In a bid to save the life of Veloso, Cabinet Secretary Jose Almendras said President Aquino had to break protocol when he phoned Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi – clearly recalling the frantic phone exchanges between the Filipino and Indonesian officials hours before the planned execution.
Manila Bulletin
