Graphics by John Carl Acosta

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has granted absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina former overseas worker who spent nearly 15 years on death row in Indonesia, as announced on Friday, September 25, in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

In a chance interview, Marcos confirmed the development and said he had already signed the pardon the day before. “Sige, I’ll give you a scoop. Pinirmahan ko na… Pinirmahan ko na yung pardon niya kahapon,” Marcos said.

Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 after 2.6 kilograms of heroin was found in her luggage, which led to a drug trafficking charge.

She said the drugs were planted by her recruiter. She was later recognized as a victim of human trafficking. She was sentenced to death, but her execution set on April 29, 2015, was stopped at the last minute after her recruiter surrendered in the Philippines.

Following the surrender, former President Benigno Aquino III appealed to then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo, which led to the reprieve.

Veloso returned to the Philippines on December 18, 2024, and has been detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City since then.

An absolute pardon clears a person of legal consequences from a conviction and restores her rights, allowing Veloso to finally be free after more than a decade in detention.

Article by Aldred Superales