Mary Jane Veloso (center) (Santi San Juan/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Senior Citizen Party-list Rep. Rodolfo "Ompong" Ordanes is asking President Marcos to take into consideration Mary Jane Veloso's elderly parents in the decision on whether or not to grant her executive clemency.

"It is customary at year end for the President to grant the release of prisoners, including elderly," Ordanes said in a recent statement.

"Incidental to this, I ask President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr to include Mary Jane Veloso’s senior citizen parents and children among the factors to consider when he grants executive clemency to Mary Jane," he said.

Veloso recently came home to the Philippines after over a decade of incarceration in Indonesia. An alleged unsuspecting drug mule, Veloso was placed on death row in the foreign land but was spared.

"Seeing Mary Jane’s parents suffer because of what happened to their child is heartbreaking, but the entire nation, especially us seniors, deeply felt the relief and joy when the Veloso family was reunited," Ordanes said.

"We were able to wait 15 years for Mary Jane’s repatriation. Now we can wait a bit more for the legal process to take its course so she will finally gain her freedom," added the chairman of the Committee on Senior Citizens. 

Ordanes said that a pardon may not be the option in Mary Jane’s case because the President’s power to pardon is limited to the Philippines

"But the President can grant executive clemency provided all the requirements and processes for such are followed faithfully and properly," the ranking solon said.