PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has granted absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, the former overseas Filipino worker who spent almost 15 years on death row in Indonesia before being transferred to a correctional facility in the Philippines.
The president said he signed Veloso’s pardon on Friday.
Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia had earlier disclosed during a House budget deliberation that Marcos was “seriously considering” an absolute pardon to Veloso based on humanitarian grounds.
Malacañang said the pardon was based on letters Veloso sent to the president appealing for her freedom.
Veloso was arrested in 2010 at the Yogyakarta airport after 2.6 kilograms of heroin were found in her suitcase. She had unknowingly been recruited as a “mule” or courier by a neighbor who worked for a drug trafficking syndicate.
She was sentenced to death by firing squad and spent the next 15 years waiting for her execution to be carried out.
Veloso was repatriated in December 2024 following negotiations between Manila and Jakarta.
Since her return, she has been detained at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City.
The Office of the President will transmit the pardon documents to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and Migrante International on Friday welcomed the absolute pardon for Veloso as a “long-awaited act that brings immeasurable relief to her, her family, and all those who stood with her through the years.”
“Mary Jane’s story is one of extraordinary courage and resilience. A migrant worker and trafficking victim who came perilously close to execution, she never lost hope. In the process, she became a powerful symbol of the struggles endured by countless Filipinos driven abroad by necessity and made vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation,” the NUPL said.
It added that the pardon “is also a reminder of why trafficking victims must be met first with protection, compassion and justice, and why no victim should have to spend years fighting simply to be recognized as one.”
Migrante International said the pardon was a “historic victory” for those who fought for Veloso’s freedom.
“We celebrate this as a historic victory for the global people’s movement that has long fought for freedom and justice for Mary Jane as a victim of human trafficking,” the group said. “From the campaign to save her life from execution in 2015 to consistently calling for her immediate and unconditional release, our campaign garnered broad support from thousands of people’s organizations, migrants organizations, interfaith leaders, human rights groups, networks of democratic lawyers, elected officials and parliamentarians, and individuals across the Philippines and the world.”
The group said that Veloso’s freedom was long overdue and that the president still gave her “grave injustice” by prolonging her detention in the country.
The Akbayan Party-list also welcomed the absolute pardon to Veloso and called for stronger protection for overseas Filipino workers against trafficking and illegal recruitment.
“Finally, freedom!” Akbayan President Rafaela David said.
“Mary Jane endured more than 16 years of fear, anxiety and waiting. Finally, freedom! Her unjust imprisonment is over, and she can now return to her family. This freedom is priceless,” David said.
Akbayan said Veloso’s case underscored the vulnerability of Filipinos who leave the country in search of work and can fall prey to trafficking and exploitation.
The group urged the government to strengthen its campaign against human trafficking and illegal recruitment and provide stronger legal, consular and reintegration support for OFWs and their families.
