President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, November 21, hinted at a possible clemency grant to Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking, following her death sentence commutation to life imprisonment.
While no definitive decision has been made, the President acknowledged the unprecedented nature of Veloso’s case and praised Indonesia for its cooperation in commuting her death sentence and paving the way for her eventual return to the Philippines.
“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.
Marcos’ statement comes after significant diplomatic efforts led by the Philippine government to reduce Veloso’s sentence. The President highlighted the length of the negotiations, noting that efforts to remove Veloso from death row began soon after he assumed office.
“Since I came into office, what we were trying to — what we were working on was tanggalin na siya sa death row, unang-una, to commute her sentence to life,” he explained.
The case, which has spanned over a decade, saw a breakthrough under the leadership of former President Joko Widodo, with continued diplomatic efforts under the current President, Prabowo Subianto.
Marcos credited the strong bilateral relations with Indonesia for the success of these negotiations.
“Mabuti na lang that our relations with Indonesia, our relations with then-President Widodo and all of these people, together with our relations now with the new President, President Prabowo, dahil maganda naman ang ating relasyon,” Marcos said.
He emphasized that the Indonesian government, despite its strict stance on drug trafficking, did not pursue Veloso’s execution and sought alternative solutions.
“Sabi nila wala naman silang interes na ikulong, wala naman silang interes na i-execute si Mary Jane Veloso. Ngunit — kaya naman sabi nila ay hanap na lang tayo ng paraan. And they did it for us,” the President stated, acknowledging the Indonesian government’s cooperation.
Marcos expressed gratitude toward the Indonesian leadership, stressing that this was a significant diplomatic achievement.
The President also pointed out that previous Philippine administrations, including his own, have worked on Veloso’s case for over ten years, culminating in the commutation of her death sentence.
“Pero ang nagawa natin napa-commute natin ‘yung sintensya niya from death sentence to life imprisonment,” Marcos said, adding that the next steps in her case would be decided in due time.
Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 for attempting to smuggle 2.6 kilograms of heroin in a suitcase and was subsequently sentenced to death by firing squad.
Her case ignited widespread outrage in the Philippines, where her family and supporters argued that she was innocent and had been framed by an international drug syndicate. They claimed Veloso had been tricked into accepting a non-existent job abroad as a domestic worker and was unaware that the suitcase she was given contained drugs.
In 2015, the Philippine government secured a last-minute reprieve for Veloso after a woman suspected of recruiting her was arrested and charged with human trafficking. Veloso was named as a witness in the case against the trafficker.
Indonesia’s law and human rights minister, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, announced that President Prabowo Subianto had “approved the transfer of prisoner policy” for Veloso. He further stated that the transfer was expected to take place in December. (TCSP)
