MANILA — Mary Jane Veloso could be moving closer to freedom after Malacañang confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is seriously considering granting her an absolute pardon on humanitarian grounds, nearly two years after she was brought home from death row in Indonesia.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro confirmed the possible grant of executive clemency after Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia disclosed during deliberations on the proposed 2027 budget of the Office of the President that Malacañang was “seriously considering” an absolute pardon for Veloso.
Garcia said an announcement could be made in the coming days.
Asked whether Marcos could grant the pardon before Christmas, Castro indicated that a decision might come even sooner but declined to give a definite timetable.
“Baka mas maaga. Let us see. Hayaan natin ang Pangulo magsalita,” Castro said during a Palace briefing.
Veloso, a former overseas Filipino worker, was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase. She was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death.
Her execution was stayed at the last minute in 2015 after Philippine authorities informed Indonesia that her alleged recruiters had surrendered.
Veloso spent nearly 15 years in Indonesian custody before she was transferred to the Philippines in December 2024 under an agreement between Manila and Jakarta. She remains detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.
Castro said the Philippine government would not need to secure Indonesia’s approval should Marcos decide to grant Veloso an absolute pardon.
The development marks a significant step in the long-running campaign by Veloso and her family for executive clemency.
In July, Malacañang said the family’s appeal would be relayed to Marcos for consideration. Earlier, the Palace said the government had been reviewing the terms surrounding Veloso’s repatriation to ensure that any presidential action would comply with the agreement reached with Indonesia.
Marcos had also said in December 2024 that Veloso’s request for clemency would undergo review by government legal experts before a decision was reached.
An absolute pardon would represent a major turn in Veloso’s case, which took her from an Indonesian death sentence to repatriation and, potentially, freedom after more than 16 years in custody./PN
