Family members of executed drug mule in China face alleged recruiter

08:39 Family members of executed drug mule in China face alleged recruiter 0 Comments

The parents and brother of Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, one of three executed Filipino drug mules in China, came face to face for the first time with Sally’s alleged recruiter Tita Cacayan at the Department of Justice (DoJ).

During Monday’s preliminary investigation, Cacayan submitted her counter-affidavit in response to the complaint filed against her for large-scale illegal recruitment and violation of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2008.

In Sally’s affidavit, she alleged that Cacayan was the source of drugs she carried to China. She said it was Cacayan who recruited her for a job in Xiamen and provided her an empty suitcase she used for her travel. She said she was not aware that the suitcase contained more than 4,000 grams of illegal drugs.

Jason Ordinario read a handwritten letter which her sister Sally sent to the Philippine Consulate in China where she said Cacayan, whom she called “auntie” was the one who gave her the briefcase.

“I blame her for not telling me the truth. I trusted her so much then, the thing happened…I did everything as she said…my purpose is so [that] my family will get a better life by doing some work for a friend. I don’t have any choice…that was unfair to me,” Villanueva’s hand written letter stated which was read during the preliminary investigation.

Cacayan said the letter was fake.

“When did she write that? It was not even [a] registered [mail]. Do not pin the blame on me. We were all working in Macao,” Cacayan said in a slightly raised voice prompting Assistant Senior State Prosecutor Lilian Doris Alejo to interfere and said that it would be better if the letter could be attached to the reply that Villanueva’s family will submit on April 25 and will be asked to produce during the clarificatory hearing.

“We must not all be combative here. This should be better addressed during the clarificatory hearing,” Alejo said.