A day after announcing that Mary Jane Veloso will be transferred to the Philippines from Indonesia, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. revealed the negotiations had been going on for a long time.

“Well, since I came into office, what we were working on was to remove her from death row first and to commute her sentence to life,” Marcos said in an interview on Thursday.

He said the Philippines has continued to discuss with the Indonesian government the possibility of bringing Veloso home.

“We continue to work with the Indonesians. It was still with the Widodo government at that time, on how we could bring Mary Jane Veloso home,” he said.

Marcos highlighted the strong relationship of the Philippines and Indonesia, both under former President Joko Widodo and now with President Prabowo Subianto.

“They found ways for a possible transfer of Veloso. This is the first time they did this,” Marcos noted. “They said they had no interest in imprisoning or executing Mary Jane Veloso. So they said, ‘Let’s just find a way,’ and they did it for us.”

The President expressed gratitude to the Indonesian government, particularly its former and current leaders. “We should be very grateful to President Widodo and President Prabowo, because without their approval, we would not have been able to do this,” he said.

“We’ve been working on this for years, not just me, but all the previous presidents. It’s been 10 years,” he added.

Transfer conditions

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice (DoJ) issued a joint statement confirming that they are finalizing the terms of Veloso’s transfer with Indonesian authorities.

The agencies clarified that while Veloso will be transferred to the Philippines, she will continue to serve her life sentence in compliance with Indonesia’s justice system.

“We are bound to honor the conditions that would be set for the transfer, particularly the service of sentence by Mary Jane in the Philippines, except for the death penalty, which is prohibited under our laws,” the statement said.

Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 for drug trafficking and sentenced to death. She received a temporary reprieve in 2015, and for almost a decade, the Philippine government has been seeking clemency and her return to Manila.

No immediate pardon

However, DoJ Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez clarified that a pardon for Veloso would not be immediate once she returns to the Philippines.

“It would not be good,” Vasquez said in a TV interview. “We have to respect the judgment of the Indonesian court. Granting her a pardon or executive clemency would mean turning our backs on the agreement with Indonesia, which allowed her transfer as a humanitarian gesture.”