Convey plea for clemency to Marcos, Veloso urged

MANILA, Philippines — Detained overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso should directly convey her appeal for clemency to President Marcos, a Palace official said yesterday.

Veloso, who was sentenced to death in Indonesia for transporting heroin, made a new appeal for her freedom in an open letter written from prison and released on Jan. 28.

Veloso is being held at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.

“It would have been better if her letter was personally or directly transmitted to the President, so that a proper decision could be made regarding the matter,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing.

In her letter, Veloso described the hardship faced by her aging parents, who travel several hours from Nueva Ecija to visit her in prison. She also maintained her innocence.

On Dec. 6, 2024, the Philippines and Indonesia signed an agreement on the transfer of Veloso to the Philippines where she would serve the remainder of her sentence.

Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after authorities discovered over 2.6 kilos of heroin in her suitcase.

She was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015, but got a reprieve after then president Benigno Aquino III appealed to the Indonesian government, saying she could be a vital witness in prosecuting drug rings.