President Benigno Aquino III has ordered Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to fast-track the legal process that may prove overseas worker Mary Jane Veloso innocent of drug trafficking and bring her recruiters to the bar of justice.

“I will be tasking the SOJ (Secretary of Justice) in particular to expedite the whole process of really ferreting out all of the facts so that we can bring to the bars of justice all concerned and, perhaps, facilitate the capture of others, especially on the drug front who brought her to this predicament,” he said at a press conference at the Negros First CyberCentre in Bacolod City.

Aquino said he expects the legal processes to be completed in about two months.

“We're in the preliminary investigation stage…My understanding is the SOJ will be talking to their attorney general to discuss all our procedures,” he said.

The Indonesian government, led by President Joko Widodo, gave a reprieve to Veloso, who was facing death in Indonesia for drug smuggling. She was set to be executed by firing squad Tuesday.

President Aquino further said there was no discussion yet on the case of Veloso, but “they saw the value of being able to elicit her testimony to serve the ends of justice.”

Meanwhile, the government is intensifying information and education efforts to heighten awareness on the perils posed by human and drug trafficking activities.

Such efforts are also being conducted in the country's regions and provinces especially among the workers' families.

The President cited statistics showing 78 incidents per year involving Filipino citizens as drug mules.*PNA

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