PETALING JAYA, April 30 — Twittersphere was abuzz yesterday with the temporary reprieve given to death row convict Mary Jane Veloso at the last minute, with many calling it a miracle.
Up to the date of her execution, people around the world joined the chorus of Filipinos calling for her to be spared and when it happened, it was seen as nothing short of an act of divine intervention.
Using the hashtag #SaveMaryJaneVeloso, user Queenie Lancaster tweeted: “that was a good news!!!! thank you Lord!!! #SaveMaryJaneVeloso .”
User @powerofmusic also called for prayer for the convicted Filipina as she tweeted: “Miracles from above do happen. Expect the unexpected.”
User Apree @Aprinalpradikha tweeted: “Hopefully the truth quickly revealed the truth, and Mary Jane could live better, #SaveMaryJaneVeloso”.
Some also said having her executed would not solve the drug problem.
My Heartless Guy tweeted: “Killing someone who is innocent will not make things better. It makes u weak. Murdering people doesn’t make u ‘stronger’ it makes u a coward”.
While many rejoiced in her reprieve, there were also those who opposed it.
Dennis Relojo @DennisRelojo said: “There’s no reason to #savemaryjaneveloso Everyone should be taught to respect the laws of other countries. Please stop cuddling criminals!”
Convicted Bali Nine ringleaders and Australian citizens Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan also drew plenty of attention.
User Yordan Gardia lauded the execution, tweeting: “Drug dealers must die! #Bali9 #BaliNine”
Another user Felicity Keir reminded netizens not to treat the condemned as heroes due to the nature of their crimes. She tweeted on @felicitykeir: “You can’t forget their crimes, they are not heroes just because they were murdered”.
Soul Stealer said drug traffickers already know the consequences when agreeing to be a mule. He tweeted on @soulstealer2011: “If you transport drugs in Asia? Indonesia/Malaysia, don’t be surprised if you get the death penalty for your troubles.”
There were those who also tweeted that visiting foreigners must respect the laws of the nations they visit.
User @jewelly76 said: “Every country has its rules whether right or wrong and if you go there, you have to respect them or lobby for a change.”
