Letter from Rebecca Lawson serving in the Philippines
May 25, 2015 - Mary Jane Veloso’s story
Dear friends,
Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Luke 18:39
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At a Vigil in front of the Quiapo Church Plaza with Mary Jane's Mother Celia April 9, 2015
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Celia Velsoso kicks off the Save Mary Jane! Free Mary Jane Alliance
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Collecting Signatures at Santa Cruz Church after a Special Service for Mary Jane April 23, 2015
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Public Prayer for Mary Jane's life to be spared
As mission workers we often talk about being called by God into lives of mission service; however, as a disciple of Christ, my sense of calling comes as much from being summoned by those in need. In the second week of April I experienced this summons again—Celia and Cesar Veloso cried out for mercy on behalf of their daughter Mary Jane Veloso, facing execution in Indonesia.
Migrante International, a partner migrant organization, had been arranging every possible opportunity for Mary Jane’s family to speak about how Mary Jane was recruited by family friend Maria Cristina Sergio and duped into unknowingly carrying heroin in a suitcase gifted to her. Mary Jane, who paid money to Sergio as a placement fee for employment as a domestic worker (house servant) in Malaysia, ended up detained in Indonesia in 2010, and that same year she was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death by firing squad.
Mary Jane’s experience demonstrates how human trafficking works. In 2010 Mary Jane’s recruiter Cristina brought her to Malaysia and then informed her that the job as a domestic worker was no longer available. Promising Mary Jane that another job would be found and showering her with gifts and new clothes over several days, Mary Jane was told that she would be sent first to Indonesia. When Mary Jane remarked that her small backpack could not hold all of her new things, Cristina’s trap was set as she told Mary Jane that her boyfriend had arranged for Mary Jane to be given a suitcase. When the suitcase was delivered, Mary Jane noticed that it was particularly heavy, but Cristina assured that this is normal for new suitcases in Malaysia.
When Mary Jane put the suitcase through an x-ray machine in Jogjakarta Airport, Indonesia, her nightmare began. Indonesian authorities found 2.6 kilograms (5.4 pounds) of heroin in the lining of the suitcase. Mary Jane was taken into custody and charged with illegal drug trafficking. Since Mary Jane’s family lives in extreme poverty, she had stopped schooling in her first year of high school (about age 13), her grasp of English was minimal, and she had no facility in Bahasa Indonesia, the local language. Meanwhile Sergio returned to their home area, bringing milk formula and diapers for Mary Jane’s infant son and telling everyone that Mary Jane was now happily employed as a house servant in Malaysia.
When Mary Jane was able to call her sister and tearfully explain that she was now in prison, the family confronted Sergio. Sergio’s command for them to stay silent came in two messages: the drug syndicate will spend millions to get Mary Jane out (meaning that they will bribe officials) if they remain quiet; and the family will be killed if they ever expose Mary Jane’s situation in the media. Help did not arrive for Mary Jane—she had an uncertified translator (a mere student), who may or may not have translated court proceedings into English, but Mary Jane couldn’t really understand; furthermore, Mary Jane saw her public attorney only inside the courtroom. Her situation as a victim and a trafficked person was never given attention. She was convicted on the basis that she entered Indonesia in custody of a suitcase containing illegal drugs. Though the prosecutor had asked for life in prison, Mary Jane was sentenced to death. Mary Jane, like many victims of human trafficking, discovered that her cries were not heard from her prison cell.
More than four years later, in the last week of March 2015, the imminent execution of a Filipino in Indonesia was announced. Shortly thereafter Mary Jane’s mother Celia gave an interview on the evening news. Migrante International went immediately to talk with Mary Jane’s parents on the last day of March and the fevered campaign to Save the Life of Mary Jane Veloso ensued. The horrific journey of being tricked and defrauded, abandoned and confused, and convicted without being able to defend yourself was matched by the appalling experiences of the entire family who were left without aid and adequate assistance. It was heartbreaking. Celia and other family members tearfully testified again and again at churches, public parks, schools, and in front of government buildings. Migrant advocates went with them to follow up the case at government offices. The searing truth that Mary Jane was an innocent victim of human trafficking and her family’s cry for help summoned us to action, and we formed a Church Task Force. My assignment was on the national and international media and networking team. We worked around the clock to create a public clamor and support for Mary Jane.
In the early hours of April 29, 2015, Mary Jane was scheduled for execution—we lamented that our focused, yet frenetic, efforts and prayers from around the world had not seemed to change the course of Mary Jane’s life, and still we prayed and held on in hope. In a last-minute decision—announced after eight others were executed by firing squad—Indonesian President Joko Widodo gave Mary Jane a temporary reprieve so that her status as a victim of human trafficking could be verified and so that she could testify against her alleged trafficker Cristina, who had only hours before submitted herself to police custody in the Philippines. God used the efforts of many who had been summoned by the family’s cries for mercy. Together we witnessed a miracle.
Mary Jane’s case is not yet over. Cristina Sergio and her boyfriend, Julius Lacanilao, are in state custody; not only do they face human trafficking, illegal recruitment and estafa charges on the case of Mary Jane, but 11 other victims’ cases are being investigated. Your prayers have been invaluable. We still need your help to appeal that Mary Jane be recognized as a victim of human trafficking. If you haven’t done so already, you can sign the Church Task Force petition for clemency and pardon at www.change.org/savemaryjane, invite others to sign the petition, or even write your own advocacy letter to the Indonesian Embassy in the United States, appealing for Mary Jane’s pardon. Valuable actions also include financial contributions to the work of the Presbyterian Mission Agency or directly to my ministry as a mission co-worker in the Philippines.
As humanity continues to gear up efforts to combat human trafficking, we are faced with the challenge of hearing the cries of trafficking victims from their places of slavery and imprisonment. Many victims and their families are summoning us with pleas for aid and rescue. As Presbyterians we remain committed to promoting the integration of a human rights perspective in our efforts to combat human trafficking so as to ensure the rights and well being of children, men and women who have been trafficked.
Thank you very much for your continued prayers, actions, and support! I am honored to be a part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as we contribute to global efforts to combat human trafficking. For Mary Jane, whose life still hangs in the balance, we join hands in partnership with faith communities, human rights activists, migrant advocates, and government agencies, keeping hope that God’s miracle is not over and freedom for Mary Jane is still to come.
In Christ,
Becca Lawson
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 249
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