Mary Jane Veloso (MANILA BULLETIN)

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas is urging President Marcos to grant clemency to overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso upon her return from death row in Indonesia. 

Brosas, a member of the Makabayan bloc, filed for this purpose House Resolution (HR) No. 2128. The congresswoman was accompanied by Veloso's relatives during the filing Wednesday, Dec. 11.

"Mary Jane deserves justice, and all Filipino women deserve the right to decent work in their own country. The labor export policy must end and be replaced with genuine industrialization," Brosas said.

Veloso is an alleged Filipino drug mule who was arrested in Indonesia in 2010. She was supposed to be executed by various appeals from Manila saved her life. 

Veloso is expected to come back home before Christmas.

"Mary Jane Veloso's case starkly illustrates how the government's labor export policy continues to endanger Filipino women. Desperately seeking work abroad due to the lack of decent jobs at home, our women become vulnerable to trafficking syndicates and exploitation," Brosas said.

The resolution called for immediate action on Veloso's case. It also sought systemic changes to prevent similar tragedies.

"How long will the government continue sending our people abroad to face risks and dangers? President Marcos Jr. must urgently grant clemency to Mary Jane and prioritize policies that promote genuine national industrialization and agricultural development to create decent jobs in the country," Brosas emphasized.

She pointed out that Veloso's case represents thousands of Filipino women forced to seek work abroad due to the lack of local employment opportunities. 

"The Marcos Jr. administration must abandon this bankrupt labor export program," she said.