Cesar Veloso, father of Mary Jane Veloso, cries during a prayer rally led by Migrante outside the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Pasay City on September 5, 2022. The group appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to negotiate with his counterpart, Pres. Joko Widodo the clemency for Mary Jane Veloso on humanitarian grounds. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA (UPDATED)  — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday thanked the Indonesian government for approving the return of death row convict Mary Jane Veloso to the Philippines to serve her sentence. 

Veloso — who was arrested in 2010 for carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage — was supposed to be executed in 2015 until the last-minute arrest of her recruiter, who allegedly stashed the illegal drugs in her bags without her knowledge.

Mary Jane Veloso's recruiters convicted of large-scale illegal recruitment

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government for their goodwill,” he said.

“This outcome is a reflection of the depth of our nation’s partnership with Indonesia—united in a shared commitment to justice and compassion,” he said.

“Thank you, Indonesia. We look forward to welcoming Mary Jane home.”

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In 2022, Marcos traveled to Indonesia for his first state visit as Philippine president and brought up Veloso’s case during his meeting with then-President Joko Widodo.

Marcos said he raised the issue again the following year and asked his Indonesian counterpart to “reexamine” Veloso’s case.

“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,” Marcos 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,” he said.

“While she was held accountable under Indonesian law, she remains a victim of her circumstances,” he said.

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Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told ANC on Wednesday that personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation would pick up Veloso at the airport once she arrives in the Philippines.

Veloso will be brought to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong, Remulla said.

"If she has to serve a lifetime term, if that's part of the conditions, so she will serve a life term. But we are against the notion of the death penalty, it is something that we oppose," he said.

"The moment that she enters our system she’s already part of the criminal justice system."

CLEMENCY SOUGHT

In a statement, the National Union of People's Lawyers called on Marcos to grant clemency to Veloso on "humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice."

Remulla said in the ANC interview that Veloso was complaining of "physical ailments" and was enduring a lot of discomfort. He said they were looking into how they could help her.

Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas also urged the government to reduce Veloso's sentence, insisting that she was a victim of human trafficking.

"The government must grant her clemency and provide full support for her and her family. Her case should serve as a wake-up call to address the root causes that make Filipino women vulnerable to trafficking and other forms of exploitation," Brosas said in a statement.

"Hindi dapat sinisisi ang mga biktima ng human trafficking (Victims of human trafficking should never be blamed). Let us be clear: Mary Jane is innocent. The real perpetrators are the trafficking syndicates that prey on poor Filipino women desperate to provide for their families," she also said.

Brosas called on the Marcos administration to provide support for Veloso and her family, including livelihood assistance and psychological support, as well as legal aid "to pursue cases against her traffickers."

In a radio interview, Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said that the Philippine government hoped to bring Veloso home “in time for Christmas.”

There was no immediate comment from the Indonesian government.

CHURCH TASK FORCE REJOICES

The Church Task Force to Save Mary Jane Veloso, an alliance of concerned churches and religious activists, rejoiced the news on Wednesday that Veloso was finally returning to the country.  

"We welcome the news that Mary Jane is coming home. We sincerely thank the Philippine and Indonesian governments for their diplomatic prowess in crafting what appears to be an innovative approach through a ‘transfer of custody," they said.

The task force also expressed gratitude to their counterpart alliance in Indonesia for their "persistence and continuing advocacy" for Veloso.

The group said the announcement was an answer to their prayers, but adds the process came a long way.

"When the story of a Filipina migrant on death row — nearing a possible date for execution by firing squad in Yogyakarta — came to public knowledge, Church activists scrambled to think on how to advocate for her as a victim of human trafficking. At the time, online petitions were a relatively new approach," they recalled.

The task force narrated how their religious volunteers roamed parishes and churches to collect signatures. After holding a campaign in a prayer vigil at the Santa Cruz Church, the alliance said migrant advocates and human rights lawyers went to Indonesia with the family of Veloso.

They also said they started a petition on Change.org to save Veloso from death row, which garnered the attention not only of Filipinos but also various citizens around the world.

"We were amazed when our petition for Mary Jane Veloso became the fastest-growing Change.org petition in history. When Mary Jane was spared from the firing squad through a temporary reprieve, we were ecstatic. The wrong headline in the morning papers rang in testament to the miracle we had witnessed. Mary Jane had been saved!" they stressed.

"Our journey with the Veloso family only reinforced and added texture of how Mary Jane, as a hopeful migrant desiring to earn to care for her children, became the victim of human traffickers who preyed on her financial need and vulnerability," they added.

The alliance looks forward to Veloso's return to the country and continues to call for her clemency.

"The Church Task Force to Save Mary Jane Veloso looks forward to welcoming Mary Jane in the Philippines. We continue to appeal for clemency for Mary Jane, as a victim of human trafficking, especially given the Veloso family’s concern for Mary Jane’s safety if ever she is to be detained in a Philippine jail," the task force said. 

In 2010, Veloso was arrested for carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage and was supposed to be executed in 2015 until the last-minute arrest of her recruiter.