Mary Jane Veloso granted absolute pardon by Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — Mary Jane Veloso, who was on death row in Indonesia and subsequently detained in the Philippines for over a year without charges, is set to be freed after receiving an absolute pardon from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. "I signed her pardon yesterday," Marcos told reporters on Friday, September 25. Veloso is currently detained at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City, having returned to the Philippines from Indonesia on December 18, 2024. Veloso was arrested in 2010 on drug trafficking charges. In 2015, following the surrender of her illegal recruiter in the Philippines, then-President Benigno Aquino III made a last-minute plea to Indonesian authorities to spare her life. She was granted a reprieve just hours before her scheduled execution by firing squad on April 29, 2015, a decision that came so late that several print outlets mistakenly reported her death. This pardon marks the end of a long ordeal for Veloso, whose case has been a focal point both domestically and internationally, highlighting the vulnerabilities of overseas Filipino workers and the complexities of international legal proceedings. The Marcos administration's decision represents a significant development in Philippine judicial and foreign policy.