ANOTHER GOOD DEED BY PACQUIAO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 30 Apr 2015
Eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao?s appeal to Indonesian president Joko Widodo who is reportedly a fan of the fighting congressman from Sarangani Province and the sustained efforts led by President Benigno Aquino III and vice president Jojo Binay to seek the Indonesian president?s approval to spare the life of Mary Jane Veloso who had been sentenced to death on drug charges, paid off when President Widodo granted a stay of execution while claims that Veloso was a victim of drug traffickers is investigated.
Significantly seven of the eight people sentenced to die by firing squad were executed.
Pacquiao who is in the last three days of his drive to inflict the first defeat on unbeaten pound for pound No. 1 Floyd Mayweather Jr had appealed in a video message to the Indonesian president telecast by GMA 7 in which Pacquiao said ?I am begging and knocking at your kind heart that your Excellency grant executive clemency to her by sparing her life and saving her from execution.?
Pacquiao said ?on May 2 I will be fighting in Las Vegas, Nevada against Floyd Mayweather which is considered the fight of the century. It will be a great morale booster if, in my own little way, I can save a life.?
The video appeal to president Widodo followed an appeal by Mary Jane?s mother Celia to Pacquiao to help her daughter and he promptly responded from his training camp in Los Angeles.
The mother told Pacquiao, ?Manny please help my daughter. Please speak up. Any word from you will help greatly because you are very popular in Indonesia.?
The Jakarta Post newspaper reported that Pacquiao had ?expressed a wish to visit death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso in her prison in Indonesia after his high profile fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.? He planned to fly to Indonesia as early as Monday and indicated that if the plan pushes through he wanted to meet several Indonesian officials.
According to Indonesian boxing writer Jeff Pamungkas, Pacquiao had earlier written the Indonesian president that he was ?dedicating this fight to my country and the entire Asian people to which the Philippines and Indonesian belong,? and that Pacquiao?s appeal ?was well responded to.?
Pacquiao, live on GMA7 News, makes an appeal to Indonesian president Widodo to spare Mary Jane Veloso's life.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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