Mary Jane Veloso to those who want to work abroad: Follow legal process

Former overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso on Thursday urged Filipinos who wish to go abroad to follow the legal process.

“Ang mensahe ko naman sa ating mga kababayan na gustong mag-abroad, wala pong masama na mangarap. Wala pong masama na gusto natin maiahon ang ating mga pamilya sa hirap,” Veloso said in a press briefing.

(My message to our fellow Filipinos who want to work abroad is that there is nothing wrong with dreaming. There is nothing wrong with wanting to lift our families out of poverty.)

“Pero kung ako po, mabuti kung dumaan tayo sa legal na paraan. Huwag po natin hayaan na ma-enganyo po tayo dahil po merong free visa, na kesyo pag may visa madali lang maghanap ng trabaho, mabilis makakaalis,” she added.

(But if you ask me, it is better if we go through the legal process. Let us not allow ourselves to be enticed because there is a free visa; supposedly, with a visa, it is easy to find a job, and you can leave quickly.)

Last week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted absolute pardon to Veloso, paving the way for her release from Philippine prison after once languishing on death row in Indonesia over drug charges.

Veloso also extended her gratitude to God and everyone who helped her.

She said she wants to continue her studies.

Veloso also hoped her recruiters would admit that they did wrong.

16 years

For his part, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida assured that the Department of Justice (DOJ will also act on other human trafficking victims.

“Pero tandaan niyo po, pwede tayong umiwas dito… ‘Yun ang mensahe ko ng gustong iparating. Pwedeng maiwasan ang problema. Kaya tayo bilang isang bayan, dapat iwas na po tayo dito,” he said.

(But remember, we can avoid this… That is the message I want to convey. The problem can be avoided. So we, as a nation, should avoid this.)

“Grabe ‘yung resources. Atsaka ‘yung 16 years hindi po ‘yan biro. 41 na ngayon si Jane. Paano siya magsisimula muli? Paano ito mag sisimula? Paano ‘yung nawalang panahon na ‘yun? Syemore double time ngayon,” he added.

(The resources are enormous. And 16 years is no joke. Jane is 41 now. How will she start over? How will this begin? What about that lost time? Of course, double time now.)

He said that though they are happy with Veloso’s pardon, 16 years is too long to be detained.

“Pakiusap ko sa mga kababayan natin na gustong makipagsapalaran… hindi po masama ‘yan. Pero may tama pong pamamaraan. Matuto po tayo sa leksyon na itinuro sa atin,” he said.

(My request to our fellow Filipinos who want to seek opportunities… there is nothing wrong with that. But there is a proper way to do it. Let us learn from the lesson that was taught to us.) —VAL, GMA News