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Marcos on Veloso clemency: We're still far from it

Philippines | National

Marcos on Veloso clemency: We're still far from it

By Betheena Unite

While President Marcos said it is now up to the Philippine government whether or not it would grant Mary Jane Veloso clemency, he believes it is still too early to take up the matter.

BBM Mary Jane.jpg — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Mary Jane Veloso (MANILA BULLETIN | Betheena Unite/ AP Photo/Slamet Riyadi)

"Malayo pa tayo doon (We're still far from that)," Marcos said in an ambush interview on Thursday, Dec. 19.

The President, however, said that there was no condition coming from the Indonesian government on Veloso's transfer to the Philippines, and is now up to the Filipino side but they still have to look more into it.

"Wala namang condition na binigay ang Indonesia (There is no condition from Indonesia). So it's really up to us. But we're still at the very preliminary stage of her pag-uwi (return)," Marcos said.

Marcos also said he is aware of the appeal of the Veloso family for clemency but it has to be determined first if granting is appropriate.

"We still have to have a look at really what her status is. Of course, we're aware of the request for clemency from her representative, of course, and from her family. We leave it to the judgment of our legal experts to determine whether the vision of clemency is appropriate," he said.

Veloso arrived in Manila on Wednesday morning, after the Indonesian Government turned her over to Filipino officials on Tuesday evening.

Veloso, 39, had been detained in Indonesia since 2010 after Indonesian authorities found 2.6 kilos of heroin inside her luggage. Veloso maintained her innocence, saying she was only duped to carry the luggage.

She was given a last-minute reprieve in April 2015, preventing her supposed execution.

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