Bring Mary Jane Veloso home – Gabriela

MANILA, Philippines — House Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas urged the Marcos administration to act swiftly on Indonesia’s offer to transfer Mary Jane Veloso to the country.

Brosas also asked the government to recognize and protect Veloso’s rights as a victim of human trafficking.

“We welcome this development from the Indonesian government as a major breakthrough that could finally bring Mary Jane home after 14 years of unjust detention,” Brosas said.

She added the offer “is a testament to the unwavering solidarity of women’s and migrants’ rights groups” that have asserted her innocence and fought for her freedom.

The representative also emphasized that Veloso’s case shows the vulnerability of Filipino women who seek to work abroad “due to lack of decent jobs and meager wages in the country.”

“She is not a criminal. She is a victim of a system that make Filipinos’ poverty thrive,” Brosas said.

Brosas called on Marcos’ administration to expedite diplomatic negotiations with Indonesia while ensuring that mechanisms are in place to protect Veloso’s rights once she is transferred to the country.

“The government must ensure that once Mary Jane is transferred, she will be treated with dignity and given access to support services as a trafficking victim,” Brosas said.

“Once transferred, the government must also grant clemency to Mary Jane. Her case against her recruiters must also proceed to give her justice and prevent similar incidents from happening to other Filipino women,” she added.

Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 for trafficking 2.6 kilograms of heroin to the country. She was supposed to be executed by firing squad after the Indonesian court found her guilty of the said charges.

She was given reprieve after former president Benigno Aquino III appealed to Indonesia’s then-president Joko Widodo following the arrest of her recruiter in the Philippines.