Mary Jane Veloso (PHOTO COURTESY OF VELOSO FAMILY)
MANILA, Philippines — The Indonesian government has expressed its intention to send death row convict Mary Jane Veloso back to the Philippines before Christmas, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Monday.
DOJ Spokesperson Mico Clavano made the pronouncement after Indonesia and the Philippines signed an agreement last Friday to send Mary Jane Veloso back home.
“Well, we are very well aware that the Indonesian government has indicated or expressed their intention to deport or transfer her custody from Indonesia to the Philippines before Christmas,” Clavano told reporters in a chance interview.
“Sana matupad yun, magandang Christmas gift po sa atin yun because we have just saved a Filipino life from death row,” he added.
(I hope that comes true, it’s a good Christmas gift to us because we have just saved a Filipino from death row.)
Clavano said that the national government is still finalizing where Veloso will be staying once she arrives in the country, but gave assurance that she will not be sent to the same facilities where the respondents of the qualified human trafficking and illegal recruitment she filed are detained.
Meanwhile, Clavano said no conditions seemed to have been imposed by Indonesia in allowing the return of Veloso to the Philippines.
“From the actuations and practical agreement signed between the Philippine government and Indonesian government, there seems to be no conditions imposed. So binibigay lang ho si Mary Jane Veloso sa atin (so they are just handing Mary Jane Veloso to us) and it is up to us to decide on whether or not there should be other steps taken,” said Clavano.
“Dati ang akala natin ay yung legal custody nasa Indonesia, physical custody lang po sa atin but it seems right now, both legal and physical custody are now with the Philippines,” he added.
(We used to think that the legal custody would remain with Indonesia, while we only had physical custody, but it seems right now, both legal and physical custody are now with the Philippines.)
Asked if this means that it will be easier to grant Veloso clemency, Clavano responded that it would depend whether there are justifiable grounds and the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“The executive clemency procedure is simple in general. As long as there is justifiable grounds to issue executive clemency, madali lang naman yun (it’s generally easy), it goes through the board of pardon and parole for screening and then up to the President for signing,” said Clavano.
Veloso was arrested in 2010 at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
She was eventually sentenced to death, but was spared in 2015 after Philippine officials asked then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo to allow her to testify against members of a human and drug-smuggling syndicate in Manila.