A Filipino woman who spent 14 years on death row in Indonesia arrived in Manila on Wednesday, reuniting with her family after narrowly escaping a firing squad in 2015.
Convicted in 2010 of carrying 2.6kg heroin hidden in a suitcase, Mary Jane Veloso claimed she was duped by a recruiter who promised her a job abroad. The single mother’s conviction and death sentence sparked outrage in the Philippines, prompting advocacy and diplomatic efforts to save her from execution.
“I am grateful to God who has answered my prayers. I will return to my country and I believe that God has a beautiful plan for my life,” Veloso, now 39, said. “Thank you, Indonesia, I love Indonesia.”
Veloso secured a last-minute reprieve from execution in 2015, paving the way for her to testify against a criminal syndicate that had allegedly deceived her into acting as a drug courier.
Her return to the Philippines brought joy and Christmas cheer to her two sons, who ran to her at the airport and hugged her.
She returned home without handcuffs, accompanied by Filipino prison officials on an overnight commercial flight. A ceremony in Jakarta marked what the corrections bureau described as “the end of a harrowing chapter in Veloso’s life”.
Her transfer to her home country eliminates the risk of execution, as the Philippines abolished the death penalty years ago.
After arriving at the Manila airport, Ms Veloso was taken directly to a women’s correctional facility. Her family and supporters gathered outside the terminal and chanted slogans like “Clemency for Mary Jane” and “Free, free Mary Jane”.
“I hope our president will give me clemency so I can go back to my family. I was in jail in Indonesia for 15 years for something I did not do,” Veloso, who is technically still serving a life sentence, told reporters following her medical exam inside the Manila prison.
Veloso was lured to Indonesia by a suspected recruiter named Maria Kristina Sergio, who promised her a domestic worker’s job and allegedly gave her the suitcase containing drugs.
She narrowly escaped execution in 2015 alongside fellow foreign drug convicts after Sergio’s arrest in the Philippines led to her being named as a prosecution witness in a human trafficking case.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in a statement on Wednesday, thanked Indonesia for transferring Veloso’s custody but did not address the possibility of a pardon or clemency.
“We assure the Filipino people that Ms Veloso’s safety and welfare is paramount and our agencies in the justice and law enforcement sector shall continue to ensure it, as our Indonesian counterparts have safeguarded it for so long,” he said.
The transfer agreement leaves Veloso’s life sentence under Philippine jurisdiction, granting it the authority to consider clemency or amnesty.
“Definitely, that is on the table,” Raul Vasquez, undersecretary for justice, said, adding that any clemency bid would be “seriously studied”.
If clemency is not granted, Veloso will continue serving her life sentence.
Indonesia said that it would respect any decision made by the Philippines.
“I wish we could just stay at home. I want to go around and visit places with her,” Veloso’s son Darren, who was two years old when she left the Philippines in 2010, told The Guardian.
Daniel, her other son, said: “We’re so excited and eager to spend time with her.”
The transfer agreement for Veloso includes a reciprocity clause, obligating the Philippines to assist Indonesia with similar requests in the future.
It is speculated that Indonesia may seek custody of Gregor Johann Haas, an Australian detained in the Philippines on drug charges who is also wanted in Jakarta for drug smuggling, a crime punishable by death in the Southeast Asian nation.
