Manila: An illegal recruiter and a suspected drug trafficker surrendered to the police for fear of retaliation from relatives of overseas Filipina worker who was to be executed in Indonesia on Tuesday night following her conviction for drug trafficking in 2010, a senior official said.

After her surrender to police authorities in Talavera, Nueva Ecija (northern Luzon), Kristine Sergio, also known as Christine Pesadilla will be charged with human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and estafa (swindling) for illegally sending Mary Jane Veloso to Malaysia in 2010 even if there was no employer waiting for the latter, said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

Sergio asked for P7,000 (Dh685), a mobile phone, and a motorcycle driven three wheeled vehicle from Veloso for sending the latter to Malaysia, de Lima said, adding the story came from Veloso’s confession to a team of investigators of the Manila-based National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who visited her in a prison in Indonesia.

When they [Veloso and Sergio] arrived in Malaysia, Sergio finally revealed that there was no work for Veloso, but an employer would be waiting for her in Indonesia. Both of them were supposed to go to there, but at the last minute, Sergio decided to stay in Malaysia, de Lima said.

Sergio could also be liable for assisting drug traffickers. Sergio introduced an African national named Ike to Veloso, who gave the latter in Malaysia luggage that contained 2.6 kilograms of cocaine which were seized from her as she entered Yogyakarta Airport in 2010, de Lima said.

Philippine investigators have made a sketch of Ike’s face, based on Veloso’s description, de Lima said, adding he was 35 years old, 1.8 metres (six feet) tall, and weighed 110kg.

Ike’s last address in 2010 was Suns Inn Lagoon, Petaling, Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, de Lima said, adding the Philippine investigators gave these data to their counterparts in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao surrendered to police authorities who gave them protective custody following alleged threats of revenge from relatives of Veloso, de Lima said.

Meanwhile, Philippine authorities were accused of acting too late in their efforts to save Veloso this year.

“They did not exhaust all means to show that she could be a victim of human and drug traffickers,” Senator Cynthia Villar said, adding that Veloso’s testimony could help trace the drug lords in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Last Monday, Philippine President Benigno Aquino told Indonesian President Joko Widodo that Veloso could turn a state witness against drug lords that operate in Malaysia and Indonesia. The Attorney-General’s Office of Indonesia rejected the Philippine government’s second request for a review.

In 1995, the Singaporean government hanged Flor Contemplacion for the alleged murder of her compatriot Delia Maga and the latter’s four-year old Singaporean ward in 1991. The incident soured ties between Philippines and Singapore, which are two of the 10-member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).