No formal deal yet on Mary Jane Veloso repatriation, DFA clarifies
Mary Jane Veloso —PHOTO COURTESY OF VELOSO FAMILY
MANILA, Philippines — There is no written agreement yet between the Philippines and Indonesia regarding Mary Jane Veloso’s return to the Philippines, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said on Wednesday.
This clarification comes despite President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s earlier statement that the two countries had already agreed to repatriate Veloso to Manila.
De Vega, in a Palace briefing, noted that while there is no official document yet sealing Veloso’s repatriation, the Indonesian government initiated discussion about her case.
READ: Mary Jane Veloso is coming home to the Philippines – Marcos
“There must be a reason for the president to be this confident. If you mean a written agreement, there’s none yet. But they [the Indonesian government] were the first to approach us to talk about this,” he responded when asked if the return is not yet final.
Article continues after this advertisement“So we are extremely confident it will happen. And certainly, our president must be privy to information explaining his confidence,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementDe Vega added that the two countries are yet to “fine-tune” further details about Veloso’s anticipated return.
Furthermore, there is no information yet on when she will arrive and where she will be detained but the government is considering the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City and the National Bureau of Investigation facility.
Meanwhile, Department of Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said that Veloso’s legal custody will remain under Indonesia even though her physical custody is in the Philippines.
READ: Legal custody of Mary Jane Veloso to remain under Indonesian gov’t
In 2010, Veloso was arrested at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
Veloso maintained she was unaware of the contents of her luggage as it was only given by her recruiters, identified as Julius Lacanilao and Maria Cristina Sergio.
