Palace to relay Mary Jane Veloso clemency appeal to Marcos

The family of trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso, along with migrant rights advocates, calls on the Marcos administration to release Veloso and pursue the case against her traffickers. (Niño Jesus Orbeta/INQUIRER)

VANCOUVER — Malacañang said Friday (Canada time) the appeal for executive clemency for Mary Jane Veloso, who remains in state custody after her return to the Philippines from Indonesia, will be relayed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Speaking to reporters at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the appeal has yet to formally reach the President but assured that it would be transmitted through the proper channels.

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“For now, I cannot give any details and we haven’t relayed it yet to the President. But we will relay it to him,” Castro said. (“Sa ngayon ay wala pa po akong maibibigay na detalye at hindi pa natin ito napapaabot sa Pangulo. Pero makakarating po ito.”)

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Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2010 after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase.

She was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death.

She later received a last-minute reprieve after the Philippine government informed Indonesian authorities that her alleged recruiters had surrendered.

RELATED STORY: Mandaluyong court allows Mary Jane Veloso to testify in detention

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In September 2022, Marcos raised Veloso’s case during a meeting with then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

More than two years later, Marcos announced that Veloso would be repatriated to the Philippines to serve the remainder of her sentence.

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Veloso arrived in the Philippines on Dec. 18, 2024, and was brought to the Correctional Institution for Women to continue serving her sentence.

The administration has previously maintained that cases involving convicted Filipinos overseas are handled through diplomatic channels in coordination with host governments.

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Veloso and her family have repeatedly appealed for executive clemency, citing her alleged status as a victim of human trafficking.