Filipino drug convict on death row in Indonesia, Mary Jane Veloso, shows a batik design she created during her time at Yogyakarta Women’s Correctional Institution Class IIB in Wonosari, Yogyakarta on December 13, 2024. (Photo by DEVI RAHMAN / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday refused to provide any details about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s next plans for Mary Jane Veloso, including whether he would grant her clemency.
Bersamin made the pronouncement during a Christmas gathering in honor of the families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Malacañang.
“We will not talk about that yet; let’s wait for her repatriation because it’s premature to speculate on what we will do,” said Bersamin in a chance interview.
“We do not know kasi they (because) must first arrive here before we can make a decision,” he added.
Veloso is set to finally be transferred back to the country on Wednesday, Dec. 18, after being sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2010.
READ: Marcos on Mary Jane Veloso’s return: ‘We’re celebrating already’
Meanwhile, when asked if Marcos would personally meet with Veloso upon her arrival, Bersamin responded that it was possible.
“Hindi ko lang alam pero siguro naman (I’m not sure but that’s likely), that’s one of the possibilities,” said Bersamin.
The Palace reiterated earlier on Tuesday that Marcos has yet to decide whether to grant Veloso clemency, stating that his main priority right now is preventing delays in Veloso’s return.
Veloso was arrested back in 2010 at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
She was then 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.
READ: PH to honor Indonesia’s conditions in Mary Jane Veloso’s return