Lawyer to public: Don’t prejudge Veloso’s recruiter

DON’T criminalize Mary Jane Veloso’s alleged recruiter yet. She might be a victim too.

Lawyer Persida Acosta, Public Attorney’s Office chief,  asked the public on Wednesday to give Kristina Sergio the benefit of the doubt while the government is probing her involvement in Veloso’s drug smuggling case in Indonesia.

“Apela namin sa ating mga kababayan, huwag natin siyang husgahan agad. Baka may ibang kailangang tugisin ang pamahalaan at sila ay pare-parehong biktima lang,” Acosta told reporters in Camp Crame.

Acosta went with Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao to the Philippine National Police headquarters from Nueva Ecija to seek protective custody from the police after getting death threats.

But an hour after they arrived at Crame, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima showed up to take Sergio’s custody.

“Marami siyang dapat ipaliwanag sa bayan sa pangyayaring ito at napakahalaga na madinig ang panig niya,” she added.

Acosta also pointed out that it was likely that Sergio was also a victim of a drug syndicate like Veloso.

She explained: “Si Sergio at si Lacanilao, baka biktima lang rin sila. Ang bahay nila ay barong-barong lang.”

Before dawn Wednesday, the Indonesian government granted Veloso temporary reprieve while eight death row prisoners were executed by firing squad on Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java, Indonesia.

Veloso, 30, was caught with 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage at the Yogyakarta Airport in 2010. AC