Catapang assures safety of Mary Jane Veloso

An assurance was issued by Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. on the safety of Mary Jane Veloso in its prison facility once she arrives in the Philippines to continue serving her sentence imposed by a court in Indonesia.

Catapang said they will guarantee the safety and security of Veloso.

The assurance was issued in response to concerns aired by Veloso's family over her safety once she returns to the Philippines as her family pointed out "threats" from international drug syndicates.

The Indonesian court sentenced Veloso to death following her arrest in 2010 at the Yogyakarta Airport in Indonesia where she was caught attempting to bring in 2.6 kilograms of heroin.

The Indonesian government recently agreed to return her to the Philippines where she will serve her remaining prison sentence.

Veloso will be initially brought to the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) of the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City where she will stay for a month or less once she returns to the Philippines, Catapang said.

“Only women are imprisoned at the CIW. There are no drug lords there. Many of the drug lords are detained at the super-maximum prison facility in Occidental Mindoro,’ he said.

Catapang explained that while at the RDC, Veloso "will be assessed kung ano bang katayuan niya, may medical problem ba siya (what her status is, her medical problems), or whatever.”

He said after staying at the RDC, Veloso can choose where she wants to be detained, including the CIW, to undergo rehabilitation and reformation.

Catapang said they would be simply applying the sentence of the Indonesian government on the serving of her sentence.