AFTER spending nearly 15 years on death row in Indonesia and almost two years in a Philippine prison, Mary Jane Veloso is finally home with her family, enjoying what she has longed for — her mother’s cooking.
Veloso was released from the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City on Friday after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted her an absolute pardon.
According to Veloso’s mother, Celia, her daughter had told the family that she craved adobo, a dish she particularly enjoyed.
Celia said she planned to prepare "adobong baboy" (pork stew) for her daughter when they were finally reunited, along with grilled fish.
The family had been preparing for Veloso’s return since Indonesia agreed to transfer her to the Philippines in December 2024.
On Friday, that long-awaited reunion finally came after Marcos signed Veloso’s absolute pardon, ending the remaining penalties from her drug-trafficking conviction in Indonesia.
Veloso, visibly emotional after her release, thanked Marcos and those who had supported her case.
“Wala naman po kasi akong gusto kundi makasama na po talaga ang pamilya ko, at ito na po ‘yung araw na pinakahihintay ko na palagi kong ipinagdarasal sa Panginoon (I truly want nothing more than to be with my family, and this is the day I have been waiting for and constantly praying to the Lord for),” she said.
She also said she was looking forward to being reunited with her two sons, whom she was unable to raise during much of their childhood.
Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin in a suitcase she was carrying.
She was sentenced to death but her execution was halted in 2015 after Philippine authorities sought a reprieve so she could testify in the human-trafficking case against her alleged recruiter.
She was transferred to Philippine custody in December 2024 under an agreement between Manila and Jakarta.
On Friday night, Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. confirmed that Veloso's release papers had been signed, allowing her to leave the Mandaluyong facility and return to her family.
For Veloso, the return home means being able to resume the ordinary family life that was interrupted when she left the Philippines to seek work abroad.
Set to go back to her home province, Nueva Ecija, Mary Jane — with her parents and other family members — attended Saturday’s thanksgiving Mass held at the Sienna College chapel in Quezon City.
It was organized by several advocacy groups led by Migrante International and Gabriela, National Union of People’s Lawyers, and Church Taskforce to Save Mary Jane.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is preparing comprehensive reintegration assistance for Veloso, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said.
“Our instructions are clear: the DMW must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mary Jane, her children, and her parents as they rebuild their lives,” Cacdac said in a statement issued late Friday.
Cacdac ordered a DMW team to coordinate directly with Veloso's family in Nueva Ecija and lay the groundwork for immediate family- and community-level interventions.
“Our team heading to Nueva Ecija will work directly with the family and local stakeholders to develop a tailored reintegration program,” Cacdac added.
DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will mobilize psychosocial counseling, livelihood starter kits, enterprise capital and skills training as part of the reintegration assistance.
As part of the assistance, the initiative will also link Veloso's ventures to local cooperatives and municipal economic opportunities in Nueva Ecija.
“Reintegration is not merely about coming home — it is about restoring dignity, ensuring financial self-sufficiency, and enabling Mary Jane to contribute to her local community and economy,” Cacdac said.
