Duterte hints he did not ask Widodo to grant Mary Jane Veloso reprieve

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday hinted that he did not ask Indonesian President Joko Widodo to grant a permanent reprieve for Mary Jane Veloso when they met in September during his visit to Indonesia. 

Though he did not mention Veloso, Duterte, in a live interview with GMA News anchor Jessica Soho in Malacañang, noted that he could never ask for a reprieve for someone who was convicted in a drug-related case.

"Huwag n'yo akong sisihin. A criminal is a criminal. Huwag kayong makialam sa batas namin, hindi ako makialam sa inyo. Ganoon ang usapan. Kapag nasa droga, pasensya. And that's what I told Widodo," Duterte said.

"Kung iyan na-rape, napatay, or something else, kausapin ko, 'Adre, ibigay mo na lang iyan sa akin na Christmas gift.' Pero droga?" he added, his face noticeably stern.

Indonesia sentenced Veloso to die via firing squad after she was convicted for smuggling 2.6 kilos of heroin to the Yogyakarta Airport in 2010. Her execution, however, was put on hold last year to allow her to testify against those who allegedly duped her into bringing the illegal drugs to Indonesia.

Two of Veloso's alleged recruiters are currently facing charges in the Philippines.

Duterte, during the interview, recalled how he defended his war on drugs to his critics during bilateral meetings when he attended the ASEAN Summit in Laos in September and the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Peru in November.

Days after Duterte's meeting with Widodo, the Jakarta Post published a report quoting the Indonesian leader as saying that Duterte already gave the go-signal to execute Veloso. This was later clarified by both Philippine and Indonesian officials, who said what Duterte told Widodo was to follow their own laws in connection with Veloso's case. —KBK, GMA News