In 2010, Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, then 25 years old, left her two young children to her parents’ care in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija to seek proverbial greener pastures abroad. After initially landing in Malaysia, she moved to Indonesia on advice of her Filipino recruiters. Upon arrival in Yogyakarta, Indonesia she was detained after authorities uncovered 2.6 kilos of heroin with an estimated worth of $500,000 hidden in the inner lining of what she thought to be an empty suitcase given by her recruiter.
She was sentenced to death in October 2014 and scheduled for execution in April 2015, but this verdict was stayed due to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s no-execution policy. While attending an ASEAN summit in Malaysia, President Benigno S. Aquino III appealed to President Joko Widodo for a stay in her execution. Fortunately, President Widodo acceded, despite his decision to allow the execution of other convicted foreigners.
During the Duterte administration, the Philippine government took the position that it would not interfere with the Indonesian government’s stand on Mary Jane’s case.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s administration took the cudgels for Mary Jane. During his first foreign trip in the early days of the Marcos presidency, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo brought up with his Indonesian counterpart the possible grant of clemency. Last Nov. 11, a breakthrough emerged as the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correction stated that “the transfer of prisoner” is being eyed as an option for Veloso, in line with the Philippine government’s request and as part of “constructive diplomacy” being taken by both sides.
From a broader perspective, Mary Jane Veloso’s story mirrors the Filipino diaspora.
Since the early seventies, tens of thousands of Filipinos have ventured to seek employment and better opportunities abroad. While many have prospered and elevated their families’ status, many have also fared badly and have been forced to return home to start anew.
The government has not been remiss in continually promoting their well-being through agencies such as the Commission for Filipinos Overseas (CFO), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). According to a perceptive observer: “It is the billions of dollars of cumulative financial contributions sent to loved ones by these brave sacrificing souls that has kept the Philippine economy afloat.”
Mary Jane’s sons have carried on with their schooling; the elder has finished high school and the younger is still enrolled. She will turn 40 years old on January 10, 2025. Many Filipinos certainly share the hope expressed by her family and DFA senior officials for a Christmas or New Year homecoming. Many more continue to aspire for a gentler, kinder life that would enable them to live a life of decent comfort.
As of 2023, the number of poor Filipinos ranged from 16.3 million to 17.7 million, respectively, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Social Weather Stations (SWS) report on self-rated poverty. Stunting, or being small in size for their age, is still highly prevalent among the youngest Filipino children. The Philippines ranks fifth highest in Asia-Pacific in terms of having the highest number of stunted children.
Mary Jane Veloso’s long-awaited homecoming will hopefully signal the dawning of a new, more hopeful era for Filipino women, children and families.