Cesar Veloso (L) and Celia Veloso (R), parents of Mary Jane Veloso, a Philippine drug convict in Indonesia, hold placards as they join a protest to appeal for clemency and to hand a new letter of appeal for her freedom, at Mendiola Street in Manila on 10 January, 2024.
JAM STA ROSA / AFP
image from DOJ social media
After more than a decade of incarceration and extensive diplomatic negotiations, convicted overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso is coming home.
On Wednesday, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. announced that Veloso would be transferred from Indonesia to the Philippines.
“After over a decade of diplomacy and consultations with the Indonesian government, we managed to delay her execution long enough to reach an agreement to finally bring her back to the Philippines,” he said.
“Mary Jane’s story resonates with many: a mother trapped by the grip of poverty, who made one desperate choice that altered the course of her life. While she was held accountable under Indonesian law, she remains a victim of her circumstances,” he added.
Veloso was imprisoned in Indonesia in 2010 for drug trafficking charges after being caught in Yogyakarta carrying 2.6 kilos of heroin. In 2015, she was sentenced to death.
The Philippine government appealed on her behalf, with Veloso asserting her innocence and claiming she was a victim of human trafficking in the Philippines. Then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo granted her a temporary reprieve as she became a key witness in a human trafficking case in the Philippines.
Veloso’s alleged recruiters, Julius Lacanilao and Cristina Sergio, face a human trafficking case and large-scale illegal recruitment cases in a Regional Trial Court in Nueva Ecija. They were found guilty of illegal recruitment, but their human trafficking case remains pending.
The Department of Justice issued a statement expressing gratitude to President Marcos for his efforts in securing Veloso's transfer.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said the agency is working with the Indonesian government to finalize terms for Veloso’s transfer. Part of Indonesia’s request is for the Philippines to submit a formal letter requesting Veloso’s return.
De Vega disclosed that the Indonesian government has been in talks with the Philippine Ambassador to Jakarta regarding the transfer.
Details of Veloso’s return remain undisclosed as the DFA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) continue negotiating with their Indonesian counterparts. De Vega clarified that Indonesia did not request anything in exchange for Veloso’s transfer.
“The Indonesians have not requested any payback, any quid pro quo for this. May I clarify, this is not in return for anything,” De Vega said.
He added that, as a member of ASEAN, the Philippines may accommodate future requests from Indonesia as a “debt of gratitude.”
Upon her return to the Philippines, Veloso will remain detained, as Indonesia requires the original sentence to be upheld.
“If she gets here and when she gets here she will not immediately be released. It means, we will commit to detain her until such time that (a) mutual agreement that she could be given clemency. But at least, she would be here,” he said.
DOJ Undersecretary Mico Clavano stated that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has tasked the National Bureau of Investigation to oversee Veloso’s transfer to a women’s correctional facility, possibly the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City.
Veloso’s return will at least allow her family to visit her regularly, ensuring she is no longer separated by international borders.
While Veloso will serve her sentence on Philippine soil, Indonesia retains jurisdiction over her case.
“Perhaps on a more technical term, the legal custody would be Indonesia, because we are after respecting their laws and jurisprudence, but the physical custody will be with the Philippines,” Clavano noted.
Indonesia is set to enact a new measure in 2026 clarifying the implementation of the death penalty, aligning with a global trend toward moratoriums on capital punishment.
The DFA and DOJ plan to work on securing Veloso’s eventual freedom, with Indonesia reportedly open to discussing clemency.
De Vega explained that clemency could be granted either by Indonesia’s President or by President Marcos with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s approval.
We respect Indonesia’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over this case,” De Vega said.
Veloso remains unaware of her impending transfer as negotiations are ongoing.
Her father, Cesar Veloso, expressed gratitude to President Marcos and shared his family’s joy.
“We are really happy, the whole family, especially Mary Jane's children, they were jumping and her children said: 'Someone will take care of us' that's what my grandchildren said. So we are very happy,” he said.
Mary Jane’s legal counsel, Edre Olalia, also welcomed the development, thanking both the Philippine and Indonesian governments for their efforts.
“We thank even this early the migrant and church groups and others both in the Philippines and Indonesia and all others who have not lost faith and who hoped that one day she will be home somehow,” Olalia said.
The Philippine government assured that Veloso’s return will happen as soon as possible, potentially before Christmas.
