Plea for Veloso pardon still there, says Bongbong Marcos in 2nd Indonesia trip

LABUAN BAJO—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said his administration would continue to push for the commutation of the sentence meted out to drug trafficking convict Mary Jane Veloso and the eventual extradition of the Filipino worker who was sentenced to death by an Indonesian court in 2010.

Speaking to reporters here following his arrival for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, Mr. Marcos said: “We continue to ask for a commutation—or even a pardon, extradition—[to bring Veloso] back to the Philippines, and… it’s constantly there.’’

‘’But the Indonesians answered us that this is the law, this is the law in Indonesia,” the President said when asked if the Veloso case would be raised at any meeting he would have with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

He acknowledged that the Indonesian government had already postponed Veloso’s execution as a concession to the Philippines. This was during the presidency of Benigno Aquino III.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s done,” he said. “I always at least bring it up that there may be chances that the decision [on Veloso] may be changed.”

“But nonetheless, perhaps we can find a way to at least bring her home and that we will be the one to punish her for her crimes, or whatever, anyway, to ask for clemency, ask for grace,” Mr. Marcos said. INQ

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