Malacañang on Friday (Canada time) said an appeal for executive clemency for Mary Jane Veloso will be properly relayed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through the appropriate government channels, as calls for her possible release continue to gain attention.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the matter has not yet formally reached the President but assured that it will be transmitted to him for appropriate action.
“Sa ngayon ay wala pa po akong maibibigay na detalye at hindi pa natin ito napapaabot sa Pangulo. Pero makakarating po ito,” Castro said when asked by reporters at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver.
Veloso remains in state custody following her return to the Philippines from Indonesia, where she was previously on death row after being convicted of drug trafficking.
She was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after Indonesian authorities discovered 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage.
She was subsequently sentenced to death, a case that drew international attention and sustained appeals from human rights advocates and the Philippine government.
Her execution was later halted at the last minute after Philippine authorities informed Indonesia that the individuals allegedly responsible for recruiting her had surrendered, allowing further legal and diplomatic discussions on her case.
In September 2022, President Marcos raised Veloso’s situation during his meeting with then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo, signaling continued diplomatic engagement between the two countries on her status.
Veloso was eventually repatriated to the Philippines on December 18, 2024, and was brought to the Correctional Institute for Women, where she continues to serve her sentence under Philippine jurisdiction.
The Marcos administration has previously maintained that matters involving convicted Filipinos abroad are handled through established diplomatic processes and coordination with concerned host governments.
Since her return, Veloso and her family have repeatedly appealed for executive clemency, citing her alleged status as a victim of human trafficking and urging authorities to consider her circumstances.
The clemency appeal now being transmitted to Malacañang is expected to go through the standard review process within the Office of the President, which evaluates such requests in coordination with relevant agencies.
Veloso’s case has remained one of the most closely followed legal and diplomatic matters involving a Filipino prisoner abroad, drawing attention from human rights groups and migrant advocacy organizations over the years.
Photo courtesy of ICJ.ORG
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