Mary Jane Veloso Comes Home in Time for Christmas
Mary Jane Veloso
Hers is a saga that has spanned three Philippine administrations — those of Noynoy Aquino, Rodrigo Duterte, and Bongbong Marcos. Aquino and Marcos had sought her release to Philippine custody while Duterte had all but given his blessings for Veloso’s execution in Indonesia.
Veloso left the Philippines in 2010 to find work abroad to provide a better life for her two children. A neighbor offered her a job opportunity in Malaysia, but she ended up being diverted to Indonesia with a new suitcase given to her by her recruiters. There, in Yogyakarta, airport security found that the suitcase concealed a stash of heroin, which Veloso unwittingly brought with her.
Veloso was sentenced to death for drug trafficking, in accordance with Indonesian law, just months later. But she has always maintained her innocence, claiming that her recruiters duped her into becoming their drug mule.
She was scheduled to be executed in 2015. Ironically, Philippine newspapers preempted her “death” with headlines that missed a last-minute reprieve. “Death Came Before Dawn,” a headline of the Philippine Daily Inquirer proclaimed.
In 2015, when she was scheduled for execution, Manila newspapers preempted her "death" with headlines that missed a last-minute reprieve.
It was then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo who stopped Veloso’s execution on April 29, 2015 after then-President Benigno Aquino III appealed her case and explained that her testimony was vital in the case she had filed in the Philippines against her recruiters.
On November 20, 2024, Philippine President Bongbong Marcos announced that Veloso would soon return to the Philippines after more than a decade of diplomacy and consultations with the Indonesian government. Marcos extended his gratitude to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his government for their goodwill in releasing Veloso.
By being returned to her home country, Veloso is spared the death penalty — long outlawed in the Philippines. She had earlier filed a case against her recruiters, Ma. Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao who have since been sentenced to life in 2020 for the illegal recruitment of other individuals. The two are facing separate charges of human trafficking and estafa. The case is still pending. Veloso is expected to testify in this case.
She has always maintained her innocence, claiming that her recruiters duped her into becoming their drug mule.
Indonesia said it would respect any decision made by the Philippines, including if Veloso will be given clemency. Veloso, however, will be banned from entering Indonesia again.
As of this writing, Malacañang has not indicated what fate awaits Veloso as far as clemency is concerned, something that many Filipinos support. Article VII, Section 19 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, states: "The President shall have the power to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons, and remit fines and forfeitures, after conviction by final judgment, except in cases of impeachment.”
For now, Veloso is in detention at Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City. Shortly after her arrival at CIW, the 40-year-old was reunited with her parents and two sons who are now grown up.
Veloso with two sons (photo courtesy of Bureau of Corrections PIO)
Many, including some lawmakers, have called for clemency for Veloso. Groups have been gathering outside the correctional facility to support the call, carrying Christmas lanterns labeled “Clemency.”
Spending her first Christmas in the Philippines after 14 years, she awaits the next chapter of her riveting life story.
Rene Astudillo is a writer, book author and blogger and has recently retired from more than two decades of nonprofit community work in the Bay Area. He spends his time between California and the Philippines.
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