And so it was that in a matter of minutes, the hashtag #SaveMaryJane became #BitayinNaYan and #FiringSquadforCeliaVeloso.
The Veloso family’s utter lack of appreciation for government efforts to save their kin from execution in Indonesia triggered the Twitter storm, upon the Velosos’ arrival on Friday from Indonesia where they visited Mary Jane in jail. The younger Veloso was one of nine drug traffickers sentenced to die by firing squad in Indonesia, but was granted a last-minute reprieve early on Wednesday.
READ: Netizens tag Veloso family ungrateful for slamming Aquino gov’t / Velosos home with KO punch at Aquino
In a press conference arranged by Migrante International, Mary Jane’s mother Celia Veloso thanked several groups for saving her daughter from certain death, but thrashed President Benigno Aquino III for allegedly claiming credit for the reprieve.
“Dumating na kami dito sa Pilipinas para maningil ng pautang sa gobyerno natin, dahil hanggang sa huli ay niloko pa rin kami. Ibinalita niya sa buong mundo na sa kanila nanggagaling ang pagkabuhay ng anak ko, kaya nakaligtas sa bitay. Hindi po totoo ’yan, wala pong katotohanan ’yon. Kaya humanda kayo ngayon. Nandito kami para lumaban sa inyo, haharapin namin kayo,” (We came back to the Philippines to collect from the government, because they continue to fool us. (President Aquino) announced to the world that my daughter owes her life to the government. That is not true. So get ready: we are here to fight you back, we are ready to face you), the older Veloso said.
The netizens’ response came in a swift burst of equally harsh statements.
“Government doesn’t owe you anything BITCH!’ netizen @twitnigab said.
“The nerve of this woman. Galing ka lang Indonesia, mayabang ka na? Pano ka ba napunta dun? (Just because you came from Indonesia, you’ve become haughty? Think how you landed there in the first place). Use ur brain woman, kahit minsan lang (just once),” said netizen @ohdadear.
“Kapal lang.. ingrata“ (Thick face. Ingrate!) said netizen @jpas27.
“You are asking before to help your daughter, now you asking for revenge.. anung klase tao po kau, madam (what kind of woman are you),” said netizen @jared_luis
“Whatda?! Dapat nga magpasalamat ka (You should in fact be grateful),” said netizen @hazel_israel
“Owwwsss, para kang hindi nagbayad sa tindahan at humihingi ka pa ng sukli! Tsk tsk (It’s like you didn’t even pay and now you’re asking for your change)“ said netizeb @jeyjeytiu
Lost sympathy
“Wow biglang nawala ang awa ko sa pamilyang ito..tsk tsk tsk (I suddenly lost all sympathy for this family),” said netizen @casper_00066
Celia Veloso. INQUIRER PHOTO
“Pag nakasingil ka manang veloso, wag kalimutan magbayad ng tax ha? (And when you’ve collected your dues, Madam Veloso, don’t forget to pay your tax, okay?) reminded netizen @VagaScav
“Pakshet na! #ingrata (F**k you, ingrate!)” said netizen @jhetcv66
“OMG we were with you during the ordeal and now yan ang pasalubong nyo. OMG someone should talk to them (This is what we get back for our support?).” Netizen @elvayrasantos said.
“Helerr! hindi pa po tapos yung kaso ng anak mo manang… dapat magppasalamat po kyo at manalangin pa po.. kaloka lang! (Hellow! Your daughter’s case isn’t over, Madam. You should be thankful and continue praying. This is crazy!)” said netizen @aileen19274
“Throw that Veloso family back to Indonesia..Ban them from the Ph,” said netizen @vlee_r .
The Velosos were accompanied by their lawyer Edre Olalia and members of the militant group Migrante International when they denounced President Aquino during the Friday press conference.
Curiously, during an earlier interview on Radyo Inquirer on Wednesday, Celia Veloso thanked the President for helping her daughter.
“Nagpapasalamat ko kami unang una sa Diyos …..at saka sa ginawa ni Presidente Noynoy na mabilisang pag aasikaso sa mga kailangan namin dito, (We are thankful, first of all, to God…and for everything that President Noynoy had done to quickly provide for our needs here,” she said on air.
The case of Mary Jane Veloso, a 30-year old single mother of two, spurred prayer vigils, signature campaigns and appeals from Filipinos, including boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.
The 11th-hour reprieve, however, was a result of diplomatic talks between the government of Indonesia and the Philippines, according to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) of Indonesia.
“The execution of Mary Jane has been postponed due to the request of the Philippines President [Benigno Aquino III] in relation to an alleged human trafficker who recently gave herself up in the Philippines,” Indonesia’s AGO spokesman Tony Spontana said in a report by The Jakarta Post.
Spontana was quoted as saying that the Philippine government needed Veloso to testify as a witness against her alleged recruiter, Maria Kristina Sergio, who sought police protection on Tuesday.
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