MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stated on Friday that it will seek the full release of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina drug offender presently jailed in Indonesia, once she is transferred to the Philippines.
Although no official timeframe for her relocation has been established, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega indicated confidence that Veloso will be back home before Christmas.
The exact site of her arrest in the Philippines has yet to be confirmed, as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has since been out of the country and is scheduled to return next week.
“We certainly do not want the situation in the Philippines where Mary Jane Veloso will be serving a sentence for the rest of her life. We are not aiming for that; our goal is her full liberty,” De Vega said in a phone interview with one reliable media source.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed this week that Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina drug convict in Indonesia, will be handed over to the Philippines, following years of “long and difficult” negotiations with Jakarta.
De Vega expressed optimism that Veloso would be granted clemency upon her return.
He noted that the successful transfer was a significant milestone, adding, “We achieved what we wanted: No execution; second, her actual transfer here. So, we’re getting there.”
De Vega explained that Indonesia’s decision to transfer Veloso is likely an acknowledgment that clemency could be a potential outcome, with the Philippine president expected to issue it once she returns.
Veloso, a native of Nueva Ecija, has been imprisoned in Indonesia for over a decade on charges of heroin smuggling, an offense she has consistently attributed to a recruiter who deceived her.
In 2015, she was on the verge of execution but was spared at the last minute following a plea from the Aquino administration.
“She was at the point of being executed if not for the last-minute interventions of former President Benigno S. Aquino and former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario. The two of them, may they rest in peace. They may be gone now, but their legacy lives because Mary Jane Veloso is alive,” De Vega remarked.
In addition to the transfer, De Vega revealed that the Philippine government plans to bring Veloso’s family to Jakarta for a visit soon, with the hope that she will be transferred before their arrival.