Family and friends of a Filipino Canadian man serving a life sentence in the Philippines are raising funds to help him secure his freedom or at least make his stay at one of Asia’s most notorious prisons more manageable.
A Philippine court in October convicted Jesse Johnson, 31, of trying to smuggle in MDMA while he was visiting the Philippines on vacation in 2011.
Police arrested Johnson at a post office where he was allegedly trying to pick up a package with a return address in Vancouver containing 30 grams of narcotics, according to a report.
Vangie Johnson insists her son — who was recently transferred to the New Bilibid Prison which houses 20,000 inmates in a facility built for just 8,000 — is innocent. Supporters claim Jesse Johnson has to pay for his food and lodging at the prison.
Johnson’s case is now before the Philippine Court of Appeals. If that effort is not successful his family will appeal to the Canadian government to request the rest of the sentence be served in Canada.
On change.org, a petition outlines his case and an appeal to Prime Minister Justice Trudeau.
“We’ve been silently fighting to bring Jesse home for 5 years. Today we ask his friends and the public to hear his story and help share it so we can at least attempt to provide him with the safest available place to sleep as equality among prisoners has not been achieved where he is going. Any assistance beyond that, to help him seek justice, shoulder never-ending legal fees, and to return home to his family, is also very much welcome. 
In mid-2010 Jesse was just a normal Canadian kid living in Vancouver. At the time, he was 25 years old, trying out a vegetarian diet, continuing to read classic works of philosophy and spirituality, and helping his childhood friend run a family business---a restaurant on West Broadway. This past February 1st, Jesse turned 31.
During the tail-end of Jesse’s holiday season vacation to the Philippines (where his mother was born), we received word that Jesse was being extorted by a girl he had met there---arrested and charged with importation of illegal drugs, Jesse was facing life imprisonment.
“Shocked” does not come close to describing how we felt. No plea-bargaining exists in the Philippines for this type of charge. We were about to realize that the people holding him and the setting of this story were far more alien to us than we could ever imagine.
We know Jesse was telling us the truth when he explained to us how he came to receive these trumped up charges. 
Everyone who’s met Jesse knows he’s a bright, trusting guy who who always made new friends easily. His trusting nature wouldn't have allowed him to suspect his own girlfriend, no matter how tumultuous their relationship, could be laying a trap for him by asking if they could stop by a post office. He had his ticket ready and was supposed to be coming home in only a few days.
The alleged parcel that, if it existed sat in a post office for 3 months, exposed to potential tampering by dozens of postal employees (including janitors and clerks) was said to be addressed to someone named Jovit Refermoso. It it is said to have contained 30+ grams of “pure MDMA” in powder form.
Indeed, every detail of the arresting officers’ version of this story is in question, even the parcel’s very existence: During the course of the trial, officers were forced to admit that they could not even produce the parcel, claiming that during renovations it must have been conveniently “misplaced.” Despite the absence of this key evidence and numerous other gaping holes in the prosecution’s case, Jesse was nonetheless sentenced to “life”.
In court, a bag was produced containing a powdery substance---30+ grams of it, an amount that, if it was MDMA, carries a supposed street value of merely 67,000 Philippine Pesos, or CAD $1,908 Canadian dollars. The idea that Jesse would have risked his whole life to make some fraction of $1,908 Canadian dollars simply defies all logic. Jesse was about to receive his inheritance from the death of his Canadian grandmother, he was 26 years old, had steady employment awaiting him in Canada, and his whole future ahead of him.
Jesse explains that on the morning in question, and understandably so, post offices or any type of insane criminal act were the furthest things from his mind. He’s told us again and again that he was in all honesty just thinking about food---he hadn’t eaten breakfast and was hungry. He says he met this “girlfriend” of his and they got in a taxi and headed to eat lunch. During the drive she asked if she could pick up a parcel somewhere. Jesse in response remembers saying something along the lines of, “I’m pretty hungry. Do we have to?” And the rest, as they say, is history. In retrospect obviously we all wish he had somehow sensed what was coming. But how could he have been expected to?
We can not just forget that Jesse’s life has been destroyed and his hard-working single mother has lost her only son, all because of a girl who has disappeared, and a mysterious parcel no one has ever been able to locate. We can not just forget that our friend is suffering. We ask that you please join us in our mission to help him, even just by sharing Jesse’s story with others.
At the maximum security prison, Jesse will have to fully re-adjust himself to a world very alien to him and secure some semblance of comfort and safety. What "comfort" means in Jesse's situation is simply having a little bit of personal space where he can read books and sleep at night. Due to over-crowding, absolute equality for prisoners has not yet been achieved in these prisons. Small adequate living and sleeping quarters can be obtained by prisoners who can afford to help themselves and their fellow inmates. Those who can’t often must simply sleep on the floor. Thus even anonymous donations of $1 or 2 dollars could help directly improve Jesse’s quality of life.
In 2010 Jesse was co-managing Great Wall Mongolian BBQ on West Broadway in Vancouver with his childhood friend, Daniel. Jesse, whose mother is originally from the Philippines, decided to vacation there during the holiday season. Before leaving he had dinner at the restaurant with about 12 of his closest friends. On social media thereafter we saw that Jesse was enjoying the usual common vacation activities, going to the beach, doing a bit of volunteering, and relaxing.
It is now 2016 and no one is certain he ever will come home.
The over-crowding and often unregulated living conditions in the Maximum Security Compound leaves Jesse exposed to the possibility of physical harm as well as exposure to serious health risks such as tuberculosis. This is why it is imperative that he secures a small space for himself so he can, from there, move forward. Any assistance with his appeal at the Court of Appeals or to support his transfer back to Canada is encouraged as well.
of us have known Jesse since the 3rd grade. We love him, and we will never stop trying to help him come home.”