Philippine convicted drug smuggler on death row Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, is escorted by Indonesian police as she arrives at the court in Sleman in central Java island for a hearing of judicial review on March 3, 2015 after a plea for clemency was rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Suryo, Wibowo, AFP Photo/File

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday said the government needed to study calls on granting clemency to Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia who would be handed soon to Manila following years of negotiations. 

"We will see. Hindi pa maliwanag kung ano ba talaga… This is the first time that this has happened. So everything is on the table," Marcos Jr told reporters in Nueva Ecija.

Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms  of heroin and later sentenced to death by firing squad.

Marcos: Mary Jane Veloso returning to PH after 14 years in Indonesian jail

The mother-of-two's case sparked an uproar in the Philippines, with her family and supporters saying she was innocent and had been set up by an international drug syndicate.

They maintained she was duped into signing up for a non-existent job abroad as a domestic worker and was not aware the suitcase her recruiter gave her contained hidden drugs.

The Philippine government won a last-minute reprieve for Veloso in 2015 after a woman suspected of recruiting her was arrested and put on trial for human trafficking in which Veloso was named as a prosecution witness.

She will be handed over to Manila following years of "long and difficult" negotiations, Marcos said Wednesday.

"We have been working on this, all the previous Presidents, hindi lang ako. Ten years na ito. Pero ang nagawa natin napa-commute natin ang sentensya nya from death sentence to life imprisonment," Marcos Jr said. 

"Tapos ang nasunod doon ay napauwi na natin. We will have to decide what will happen next," he continued.

Indonesia's law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said President Prabowo Subianto had "approved the transfer of prisoner policy" on Veloso's case.

He added that the transfer was likely to take place in December. 

Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told reporters in Manila that the aim of the government "would be not just for her to be transferred but for the president, our president, to be able to issue clemency".

Jakarta open to have Marcos Jr grant clemency to Mary Jane Veloso

He said Jakarta has not sought anything in exchange for Veloso's transfer of detention.

'CLEMENCY NOT AUTOMATIC'

For Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez, the death sentence of Veloso in Indonesia was “effectively” lowered to life sentence by her impending transfer to the Philippines. 

Vasquez reiterated that as soon as her transfer to the Philippines, Veloso will continue to serve her sentence. But since the Philippines has no death penalty, the maximum penalty that can be imposed upon her is life imprisonment.

“Remember na ang kanyang sentensya ay death, she is already awaiting her execution, the imposition of death penalty upon her, now with the agreement between Indonesia and the Philippines for her transfer here, the Philippines, effectively the Indonesian government agreed to lower or commute her sentence from death penalty to life imprisonment,” Vasquez said.

While officials of the DFA and the DOJ have been talking about the possibility of granting Veloso executive clemency upon her return, Vasquez said it would not be automatic.

“Hindi natin pwedeng talikuran na pagdating niya dito automatically kailangan nating i-pardon siya o i-executive clemency kasi magiging parang pagtalikod naman sa usapan sa Indonesia kasi humanitarian gesture ito eh it would not be good, sa optics na lang sa international relations napakamasama ang tingin sa atin ng ating fellow member states of the United Nations kung tatalikuran natin ang mga agreements natin, obligations natin under an agreement of this nature,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez said the Bureau of Corrections was ordered to ensure the security of Veloso, who is expected to be imprisoned at the Correctional Institution for Women.

Veloso’s family has expressed concerns about their security as the human traffickers responsible for the supposed employment of Mary Jane in Indonesia were reportedly part of an international syndicate.

The DOJ also expressed hope that with the transfer of Mary Jane to the Philippines, she could testify against her recruiters who are facing human trafficking and estafa cases.

— With reports from Pia Gutierrez and Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse