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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Palace advises Mary Jane Veloso to write letter to Marcos

Palace advises Mary Jane Veloso to write letter to Marcos

Published Feb 9, 2026 02:48 pm
Mary Jane Veloso meets with her family and relatives upon arriving at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City on December 18, 2024. (Santi San Juan/MANILA BULLETIN)
Mary Jane Veloso meets with her family and relatives upon arriving at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City on December 18, 2024. (Santi San Juan/MANILA BULLETIN)
It would be better if Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina who was convicted abroad for drug trafficking, personally seeks clemency from the President, Malacañang said.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro deemed it preferable for Veloso to write to President Marcos over her bid for freedom.
"Mas maganda po sana kung itong open letter niya—sa social media po ba niya ito na-post? Mas maganda po kung personal or maipaabot ito mismo sa Pangulo para po magkaroon po ng tamang pagdidesisyon patungkol po dito (It would be better if this open letter—was this posted on social media? It would be better if it were addressed personally or conveyed directly to the President so that a proper decision can be made regarding this matter)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Monday, Feb. 9.
Veloso has written an open letter to appeal to authorities to grant her freedom in order to take care of her parents and children, whom she did not have the chance to watch grow up.
The letter was dated Jan. 28, and was recently released by Migrante International, a non-government organization for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.
Veloso returned to the Philippines on Dec. 18, 2024 after the Indonesian government turned over the legal custody for Veloso to the Philippine government.
She remains detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
In October 2010, Veloso was found guilty as charged as the court ruled that she could not prove her unawareness of the drug trafficking. She was then sentenced to death.
Her supposed execution in 2015 did not happen as she was granted a reprieve amid a strong appeal from Philippine officials during the term of former president Benigno "Noynoy" Simeon Aquino III.
Her case was again taken into discussion again during the early days of President Marcos' presidency, which later led to the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correction to consider a “transfer of prisoner” option for Veloso, in line with the Philippine government’s request and as part of "constructive diplomacy" being taken by both sides.
READ MORE: From Indonesian death row to her PH return: The story of Mary Jane Veloso

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President Marcos Mary Jane Veloso clemency
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