The plea to spare Mary Jane Veloso from execution has not been an easy task for the Philippine government, as it took three administrations before Indonesia finally agreed to allow the repatriation of the convicted Filipina Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), who was charged with drug trafficking.
In 2010, Veloso was arrested by Indonesian authorities in Yogyakarta after 2.6 kilograms of heroin were found in her suitcase. She was later sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
Aquino administration
The Philippine Embassy in Jakarta then appealed the death sentence to the Appeals Court of Yogyakarta in 2010.
In 2011, the Yogyakarta Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court in Jakarta affirmed Veloso's death penalty sentence.
President Benigno Aquino III sought clemency for Veloso by appealing to then-Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who implemented a moratorium on executions during his term.
However, in 2014, then-Indonesia President Joko Widodo rejected the request for clemency on behalf of Veloso.
In 2015, then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario handed a letter to his Indonesian counterpart during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Retreat in Malaysia, requesting due consideration for an Application for Judicial Review.
Moreover, a lower court ruled that the case files should be forwarded to the Supreme Court in Jakarta for a judicial review.
In March 2015, the Indonesian Supreme Court denied the petition for judicial review, upholding Veloso's death sentence.
In April of the same year, Aquino reportedly wrote to Widodo seeking clemency, while then-Vice President Jejomar Binay traveled to Indonesia to appeal for Veloso's case.
Veloso was transferred from a prison facility in Yogyakarta to Nusa Kambangan Island, five days before her scheduled execution on April 29, 2015.
A day before the scheduled execution, Veloso's recruiters, Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, surrendered to Philippine authorities. Both were charged with illegal recruitment, human trafficking, and estafa.
Following their surrender, Aquino reportedly proposed to the Indonesian government that Veloso be granted witness status to help identify the criminal group that exploited her to transport illegal drugs.
Aquino stated that keeping Veloso alive would serve the interests of both nations, as it would allow her to testify and contribute to achieving justice for both countries.
On the day of her scheduled execution, Indonesia granted Veloso a last-minute reprieve from the firing squad, pending the completion of all proceedings in the Philippines.
Duterte administration
In September 2016, then-President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly gave the Indonesian government the green light to proceed with Veloso's execution, according to Indonesian press reports.
However, then-presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella clarified that Duterte had told Widodo to "follow your own laws" during their meeting.
In 2019, the Philippine Supreme Court permitted Veloso to testify against her recruiters.
The next year, a Nueva Ecija court found Veloso's recruiters guilty, and were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2020 for illegal recruitment charges filed by three other victims.
Marcos administration
In September 2022, the Marcos administration appealed to Indonesia for a pardon for Veloso.
The following year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reportedly raised Veloso's case during discussions with President Widodo on the sidelines of the 42nd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Indonesia.
In January 2024, Marcos received a commitment from Widodo that Veloso's case would be reexamined.
On November 19, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that the Philippine and Indonesian governments have been in discussions about the potential transfer of Mary Jane Veloso to a Philippine facility.
Marcos Jr. announced on Wednesday, November 20, that Veloso is finally set to return to the Philippines after more than a decade of negotiations and appeals to the Indonesian government.
As of today, further details remain undisclosed, as no written agreement has been finalized between the Philippines and Indonesia regarding Veloso's repatriation.
