Mary Jane Veloso wished for executive clemency from the Philippine government following her arrival in Manila from Indonesia where she spent 14 years in jail as a death-row prisoner.
“Sana mapalaya ako… kasi wala akong kasalanan,” she said in an interview shortly after her arrival yesterday.
Veloso, aboard a Cebu Pacific flight, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) around 5:40 a.m. She left Jakarta at around 12:53 a.m.
She was accompanied by officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
Waiting for her at the airport were her family members, including her two sons who brought flowers for her.
“Welcome home, Mary Jane!,” read a message written on a long, huge tarpaulin held by her family members.
Her return to the Philippines from Indonesia was a significant achievement for the bilateral relations between the two countries and “a mark of the trust and friendship between our two nations,” said Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo.
It is also “a win for diplomacy,” according to DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega.
Before her flight, the Indonesian government formally turned over the legal custody of Veloso to the Philippine government in a signing ceremony widely anticipated in the Philippines.
The signing of the documents for her turnover—and last week’s signing of the transfer of prison agreement—between the Philippine and Indonesian governments ended Veloso’s 14-year imprisonment in Indonesian jail since she was duped to carry a luggage with 2.6 kilos of heroin.
She was convicted and sentenced to death by firing squad by the Indonesian court.
Veloso thanked President Marcos and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for the efforts undertaken by their respective governments to make her return to the country possible.
Malacañang earlier said it was still “premature to speculate” what the government would do amid moutin calls to set her free.
Meanwhile, De Vega said the Philippines will comply with its “practical arrangement” with Indonesia concerning Veloso’s case as “the Philippines is known to be championing the rule of law.”
That means Veloso will remain in prison at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
GRATEFUL
President Marcos has thanked the Indonesian government for the return of Veloso.
“We take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to the Indonesian government and to all who have extended assistance for the welfare of Ms. Mary Jane Veloso,” Marcos said in a statement on Wednesday.
Manalo, in a separate statement, thanked the Indonesian government “for its sincere and decisive action which allowed Mary Jane Veloso to be home before Christmas.”
Their generosity has made “this momentous day of Ms. Veloso’s return to the Philippines, possible,” according to the DFA chief.
“We thank the Department of Justice (DOJ) which worked closely with the DFA and with our then Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia, Miss Gina Jamoralin, and her team, during the planning stage of Mary Jane’s repatriation,” Manalo said.
“We thank President Marcos for his approval of our recommendations and steadfast guidance for the welfare of Ms. Veloso,” he added.
DFA then assured Filipinos that Veloso’s safety and welfare was “paramount.”
“Our agencies in the justice and law enforcement sector shall continue to ensure it, as our Indonesian counterparts have safeguarded it for so long,” it added. (Joseph Pedrajas, Betheena Unite)
