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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos: Clemency for Mary Jane on the table; PH to honor transfer conditions

Marcos: Clemency for Mary Jane on the table; PH to honor transfer conditions

Published Nov 21, 2024 06:41 am

At A Glance

  • Veloso was supposed to be executed by firing squad after she was caught with 2.6 kilograms of heroin at an Indonesian airport in 2010. Veloso denied knowledge of the contraband.

President Marcos said on Thursday, Nov. 21, that the possibility of granting clemency to convicted overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso is still on the table as the Philippine government vowed to honor the condition of her upcoming transfer.

Veloso.jpg
File photos

"We will see. We will see. Hindi pa maliwanag kung ano ba talaga ang (We can't explain the circumstances yet)…How… This is the first time this has happened," he said in response to a question during an interview in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija.

"Everything is on the table," he added.

Marcos said this a day after he announced that Veloso, who had been on Indonesia's death row for over a decade due to drug charges, is finally returning to the Philippines.

During the interview, Marcos claimed that Indonesia reduced Veloso's death sentence to life imprisonment during the term of then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

"Since I came into office, what we were working on was tanggalin na siya sa death row, unang-una (to take her off the death row), to commute her sentence to life," he said.

"When we were able to achieve that, we continued to work with them. It was still with the Widodo government at that time— how we will do it para pauwiin (so she could be sent home)," he added.

President Marcos reiterated that Veloso's return to the Philippines was a result of the good relations between the two countries.

"Sabi nila wala naman silang interes na i-execute si Mary Jane Veloso. Ngunit – kaya naman sabi nila ay hanap na lang tayo ng paraan (They said they were not interested in executing Veloso. They said we would find ways), and they did it for us," he said.

Marcos said he was grateful to Widodo and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for letting this happen.

"Kaya’t malaki dapat ang pasasalamat natin sa Indonesia (That's why we are very grateful to Indonesia)," he said.

"Kung hindi sa kanilang pagsang-ayon ay hindi natin nagawa ito (If not for the two presidents allowing it, we wouldn't be able to bring Veloso home)," he added.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) said the Philippine government will honor the conditions that would be set for Veloso's transfer, "particularly the service of sentence by Mary Jane in the Philippines, save the death penalty which is prohibited under our laws."

"The conditions for the transfer of Ms. Mary Jane Veloso are still being discussed with Indonesia," they said.

Veloso was supposed to be executed by firing squad after she was caught with 2.6 kilograms of heroin at an Indonesian airport in 2010. Veloso denied knowledge of the contraband.

In April 2015, she was granted a last-minute reprieve after the late former president Benigno Aquino III personally appealed to Widodo for a reprieve on Veloso's execution on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia.

The Indonesian government delayed her execution after Veloso's alleged recruiters had already surrendered to Philippine authorities.

More than a year later, reports stated that former president Rodrigo Duterte told Widodo that the Philippines would not interfere with Indonesia's legal processes.

Related Tags

Bongbong Marcos MARY JANE VELOSO clemency President Marcos PH-Indonesia Mary Jane Veloso
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