Mary Jane Veloso —PHOTO COURTESY OF VELOSO FAMILY
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he would wait for the proper resolution of discussions with Indonesia before making any announcements about the return of Mary Jane Veloso.
“We were asked by the Indonesian government not to make any announcements until everything is settled, so let’s respect that request,” Marcos told reporters during a chance interview in Bulacan when asked if Veloso might return home before Christmas.
Indonesia and the Philippines signed an agreement last Friday for Veloso’s repatriation.
READ: DOJ upbeat on Mary Jane Veloso’s return before Christmas
Meanwhile, Department of Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano announced on Monday that the Indonesian government had expressed its intent to send Veloso back home before Christmas.
He also said no conditions seemed to have been imposed by Indonesia in allowing the return of Veloso back to the country.
Veloso was arrested in 2010 at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta after authorities found her in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
READ: PH to honor Indonesia’s conditions in Mary Jane Veloso’s return
She was sentenced to death but was spared in 2015 after Philippine officials appealed to then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo to allow her to testify against members of a human and drug-smuggling syndicate in Manila.