DOJ: Other PDLs to be looked into if Marcos pardons Mary Jane Veloso | ABS-CBN
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DOJ: Other PDLs to be looked into if Marcos pardons Mary Jane Veloso
DOJ: Other PDLs to be looked into if Marcos pardons Mary Jane Veloso
Mary Jane Veloso is finally home. Photo courtesy of BuCor PIO
Mary Jane Veloso is finally home. Photo courtesy of BuCor PIOMANILA — Other persons deprived of liberty will be looked into if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. decides to pardon Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina drug trafficking convict who returned home to the Philippines early Wednesday after nearly 15 years of imprisonment in Indonesia, an official said the same day.
MANILA — Other persons deprived of liberty will be looked into if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. decides to pardon Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina drug trafficking convict who returned home to the Philippines early Wednesday after nearly 15 years of imprisonment in Indonesia, an official said the same day.
Veloso, who was previously on death row in Jakarta, will now serve the remainder of her life sentence in Manila following a prisoner transfer agreement between the two countries that was finalized early this month.
Veloso, who was previously on death row in Jakarta, will now serve the remainder of her life sentence in Manila following a prisoner transfer agreement between the two countries that was finalized early this month.
Veloso will undergo a mandatory 5-day quarantine at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) and will be staying at the Reception and Diagnostic Center for 60 days. After this, she will be transferred to a regular cell.
Veloso will undergo a mandatory 5-day quarantine at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) and will be staying at the Reception and Diagnostic Center for 60 days. After this, she will be transferred to a regular cell.
But a presidential pardon is one of the potential paths to her early release.
But a presidential pardon is one of the potential paths to her early release.
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Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said at a press conference at the CIW in Mandaluyong that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would "definitely" check the "equally sad" cases of other PDLs in the country should he consider pardoning Veloso.
Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said at a press conference at the CIW in Mandaluyong that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would "definitely" check the "equally sad" cases of other PDLs in the country should he consider pardoning Veloso.
"Kung magbibigay man ng executive clemency ang ating Pangulo definitely titingnan niya rin 'yung mga iba, hindi siya masi-single out," he said. "Marami ring PDLs who are equally entitled [to clemency]."
"Kung magbibigay man ng executive clemency ang ating Pangulo definitely titingnan niya rin 'yung mga iba, hindi siya masi-single out," he said. "Marami ring PDLs who are equally entitled [to clemency]."
Groups and several lawmakers are urging Marcos to pardon Veloso, saying that the Filipina was a victim of human trafficking.
Groups and several lawmakers are urging Marcos to pardon Veloso, saying that the Filipina was a victim of human trafficking.
Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang said Veloso can also be freed early through the GCTA law, which allows a sentence reduction for prisoners who show good behavior.
Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang said Veloso can also be freed early through the GCTA law, which allows a sentence reduction for prisoners who show good behavior.
Catapang said the BuCor would form a board to study how the law could be applied to Veloso's case. He said Veloso's documents were all written in Bahasa Indonesia and would still first be translated.
Catapang said the BuCor would form a board to study how the law could be applied to Veloso's case. He said Veloso's documents were all written in Bahasa Indonesia and would still first be translated.
Veloso had called her transfer a "miracle" as she was supposed to be executed in 2015, but was spared as the recruiters who allegedly stashed the illegal drugs in her luggage were arrested moments before she was killed via a firing squad.
Veloso had called her transfer a "miracle" as she was supposed to be executed in 2015, but was spared as the recruiters who allegedly stashed the illegal drugs in her luggage were arrested moments before she was killed via a firing squad.
Veloso's family hopes Marcos will pardon her.
Veloso's family hopes Marcos will pardon her.
— with a report from Agence France-Presse
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