Yesterday the Department of Justice announced that it had approved the filing of criminal charges against the recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso, who is on Indonesia's death row for drug trafficking. Veloso was recruited as a domestic helper in Malaysia, but the work did not materialize. She was arrested and convicted in 2009 for bringing 2.6 kilos of heroin to Indonesia.

Veloso received an eleventh-hour reprieve in April after the Philippine government argued that she was an unwitting victim of human trafficking. Jakarta, however, stressed that the stay of execution was temporary and could still push through if Manila failed to substantiate the story.

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NEW Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived on his first state visit to the Philippines on Sunday, even as the fate of a Filipina facing execution for drug smuggling in his country hovers over planned talks.

Widodo arrived at the Villamor Air Base at 5 pm at the invitation of President Benigno Aquino III.

He and Aquino will sign four agreements, including one on anti-drug trafficking during his two-day state visit.

"Four agreements will be signed: memoranda of understanding on cooperation in combating narcotics, cooperation in technical vocation education and training, cooperation in education, research and training in the field of defense studies, as well as a joint declaration on the protection of migrants and migrant workers," Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said.

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THE Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Commission (CPADAC) called on municipal and city governments in the province last week to strictly monitor the hiring of employees.

Joey Herrera, CPADAC executive director, said their random drug tests conducted from March 31, 2014 to January 20 this year showed that 3.5 percent of local government employees tested positive for drug use.

Of the 1,570 employees that underwent testing, Herrera said there were 68 employees that tested positive for using shabu and marijuana in the province.

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THE MANDATORY drug and neuro-psychiatric tests required on 8,000 public school teachers was the result of the Department of Education's rationalization plan that transferred health care to the City Health Office.

In an interview Thursday at the DepEd divisions schools office, administrator Gerard Pil said it was the CHO that mandated the mandatory tests for the teachers since the agency no longer has a medical office to take care of their well-being.

The decision was reportedly made in coordination with the CHO, in several meetings with Pil and personnel from the DepEd's health and nutrition office.

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