Veloso pleads for freedom anew

MANILA, Philippines — Detained overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso has appealed for continued public support for her freedom in an open letter written from prison and released on Jan. 28, according to migrant group Migrante International.

Veloso, who was transferred from death row in Indonesia to the Philippines in 2024, has now spent a year at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.

In her letter, she described the hardship faced by her aging parents, who travel several hours from Nueva Ecija to visit her.

“I want you to know how difficult it has been for me to see my parents who are already of old age, traveling all the way from Nueva Ecija, for 8-10 hours just to visit me,” Veloso wrote, noting the financial and health strain on her family.

She maintained her innocence and thanked supporters who campaigned for her reprieve from execution in 2015 and transfer to the Philippines, while urging them to continue advocating for her release.

“I hope to be given the opportunity to take care of my parents while they are still alive and especially my children whom I did not have the chance to watch grow up,” she said.

Multiple petitions seeking clemency for Veloso have been submitted to the Marcos administration, but none have been granted.

Supporters have also filed appeals to expedite her case against alleged traffickers and a habeas corpus petition questioning the legality of her detention in the country.

She had been sentenced to death in Indonesia for transporting heroin, but was granted a reprieve and later turned over to the Philippine government.