President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has stated that the decision regarding executive clemency for Mary Jane Veloso is currently under the purview of legal experts. During a press interaction at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, Marcos indicated that determining the appropriateness of clemency for Veloso would be a lengthy process. He emphasized that although the Indonesian government did not impose any conditions upon Veloso’s return to the Philippines, her case remains in the early stages of review. Marcos remarked, ‘It’s still far away. We’re still far from it,’ highlighting the ongoing need to assess Veloso’s situation and consider the clemency requests from her representatives and family. He concluded that the final decision would be based on the legal judgment of the experts. Upon her arrival back in the Philippines, Veloso expressed her hope that Marcos would grant her clemency. She was immediately taken to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City for a mandatory quarantine, orientation, and evaluation period. Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 and sentenced to death that year after heroin was discovered in her luggage. She received a last-minute reprieve in 2015 when her recruiters surrendered to authorities in Manila.
President Marcos Jr. Delegates Mary Jane Veloso’s Clemency Decision to Legal Experts
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