📷DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Wednesday, December 18, thanked the Indonesian government for their “sincere and decisive action” in allowing the repatriation of Mary Jane Veloso to the Philippines after spending 14 years on death row in Indonesia.
The official made the statement after Veloso returned to the Philippines under a historic agreement in which Indonesia transferred full custody of a prisoner for the first time.
“Allow me to thank the Government of Indonesia for its sincere and decisive action which allowed Mary Jane Veloso to be home before Christmas,” Manalo said.
“We thank the DOJ which worked closely with the DFA and with our then Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia, Miss Gina Jamoralin, and her team, during the planning stage of Mary Jane’s repatriation,” Manalo added.
The Foreign Affairs official also acknowledged the crucial role of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in this successful repatriation effort.
Manalo also extended his appreciation to the Filipino people and government officials who consistently supported and cared for Mary Jane Veloso throughout her ordeal.
The Secretary emphasized that this successful repatriation signifies a significant milestone in the bilateral relations between the Philippines and Indonesia, highlighting the strong trust and friendship between the two nations.
“This is a significant achievement for the bilateral relations between the Philippines and Indonesia, a mark of the trust and friendship between our two nations,” Manalo said.
“We would, therefore, like to take this moment to reiterate our sincerest thanks to the Indonesian Government for this humanitarian action. Their generosity has made possible this momentous day of Ms. Veloso’s return to the Philippines.”
The midnight flight that brought Veloso back to the Philippines marked the end of a dark chapter in the life of the mother of two, which began in 2010 when she left the country as an optimistic migrant worker. That year, she was arrested at an airport in Yogyakarta for carrying a suitcase with 2.6 kilograms of heroin and was later convicted and sentenced to death.
In 2015, just hours before facing a firing squad on Indonesia’s Nusakambangan Island, Veloso’s life was spared through government intervention. Then-President Benigno Aquino broke diplomatic norms to urge Indonesian President Joko Widodo to delay her execution so she could testify against her recruiter, who had surrendered to Philippine authorities. Veloso was the only one among the drug convicts sentenced to death that day who was granted a reprieve.
Throughout her 14 years in detention, Veloso has consistently claimed that she was duped by an international drug syndicate and unknowingly became a drug mule.
Upon her return, Veloso was reunited with her family at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, surrounded by National Bureau of Investigation agents, Bureau of Corrections officials, and Department of Justice representatives.
Her homecoming was held under strict security measures after her family reported receiving threats from her alleged recruiters, who they say are part of a criminal syndicate. One of these recruiters is currently in custody. (TCSP)
