The curious case of Mary Jane Veloso

Members of the Veloso family continue to call for clemency for Mary Jane, who is now 37 years old. (Photo: Jire Carreon for LiCAS.news)

Days before Ferdinand Marcos Jr. left for Indonesia on his first state visit as Philippine President, the parents of Mary Jane Veloso appealed to him to bring their daughter home. Veloso is a Filipino worker who has been imprisoned in Yogyakarta since 2010 for drug-related charges.

“Pero mas lubos po kaming magpapasalamat kung sa lalong madaling panahon ay maiuuwi sa Pilipinas ang aming anak na si Mary Jane dahil wala po siyang kasalanan, at ang pangingibang bayan [niya ay] para lamang mabigyan ng desenteng buhay ang kanyang mga anak ang tangi niyang pakay,” they wrote.

(But we will be more thankful if our daughter, Mary Jane, is brought home soon because she is innocent, and her only intention was to go abroad to give her children a decent life.)

Veloso was in Indonesia to look for work opportunities. She was given cash and a new suitcase by her recruiter upon her arrival. Later, packs of heroin were found in the suitcase. Veloso maintains that she did not know the narcotics were in the suitcase lining and that she was simply following the instructions of her recruiter.

President Marcos Jr.’s three-day trip didn’t include a visit to Wonosari Women’s Penitentiary, nor did he make mention of Veloso when meeting with the Filipino community.

A bureaucratic struggle for freedom

Veloso was found guilty in 2010 after a controversial trial where she was not given a capable lawyer or an interpreter who could translate the proceedings in a language she understood. It was in 2015 that the case was brought to the Philippine spotlight.

Indonesia has one of the strictest anti-drug law enforcement in the world. Cracking down on illegal drugs has been one of Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s top policies since his 2014 inauguration. Previously, appeals for Veloso were sent to Widodo and Indonesian courts but they were all rejected.

In 2015, Widodo ordered nine prisoners—among them Veloso—be executed by firing squad in his war against drugs. Eleven hours before her execution, Veloso’s alleged recruiters, Ma. Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, surrendered to Philippine authorities. The government asked that Veloso be spared to allow her to take part in the investigation. The request was granted.

A Nueva Ecija court found Sergio and Lacanilao guilty of illegal recruitment in a separate case and were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2020. The National Union of People’s Lawyers are hopeful that this verdict will strengthen Veloso’s case for clemency. Veloso has her own case pending with the same court.

Bogged down by bureaucracy though, Veloso’s deposition against Sergio and Lacanilao has not yet taken place. And without a decision on her case, Veloso’s life is in the balance.

“There is no basis for clemency when our very own judiciary cannot render a decision on Mary Jane Veloso’s case,” Mark Castro, a Filipino community leader in Indonesia, said.

Bring her home

Twelve years after her conviction, Mary Jane Veloso remains on death row.

Cesar Veloso, Veloso’s father, said that their hope lies in President Marcos Jr. after his predecessors failed to take action to bring her home. However, it was the late President Benigno Aquino III who personally appealed to the Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi to postpone the execution. Many believe that this break in protocol was what saved Mary Jane’s life.

The Velosos also appealed to former President Rodrigo Duterte during his term but it was reported that Duterte told Indonesia, “Follow your own laws, I will not interfere.”

President Marcos Jr. returned to Manila on Wednesday night after his state visits to Indonesia and Singapore without Veloso.

Considered by some as a “geopolitical pawn,” Veloso’s case is highly sensitive. That’s probably why it was DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo who spoke with Marsudi to request that she be granted executive clemency, and not President Marcos Jr. himself. It’s undeniable though that the request for clemency would bear more impact if it came from him.

If the Indonesian government grants Veloso clemency and President Marcos Jr. manages to bring Veloso home before his term ends, it will be a massive success for his administration. But to do that, the Philippine government must be willing to exhaust all possible avenues—including moving faster on the investigation on whether or not Mary Jane Veloso was a victim of human trafficking.