MANILA – Overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso is hoping that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will grant her clemency after being detained for 15 years in Indonesia.
In an interview with the local media on Tuesday night in Indonesia before her flight back to the Philippines, Veloso insisted that she was innocent and was only used to traffic illegal drugs to Indonesia in 2010.
“Unang-una, nagpapasalamat ako kasi makakauwi na ako sa Pilipinas,” Veloso said. “Gusto ko na makalaya na ako. Clemency, mapawalang sala. Wala akong kasalanan.”
Celia Veloso, Mary Jane’s mother, also made the same appeal to the Chief Executive, saying that her daughter already served her sentence in Indonesia.
“Sana naman ibigay na sa kanya ang clemency at pardon nang makapiling na namin,” Celia told the media outside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport arrival area on Wednesday.
“Tama na po ‘yung magfi-15 years na siya sa kulungan na wala naman sya kasalanan, alam naman na biktima lang sya at nahatulan na rin ‘yung may-ari ng nahuli sa kanya na heroin,” she added.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Tuesday that President Marcos has yet to discuss about presidential clemency as their priority was to bring home Mary Jane first.
Mary Jane was jailed in Indonedia in 2010 and was sentenced to death in the same year after 2.6 kilograms of heroin was found in her suitcase.
She was given a last-minute reprieve in April 2015 when Manila informed Jakarta that her recruiters surrendered.
Mary Jane arrived at the NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City at around 5:51 a.m. on Wednesday on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J 760. She was then transferred to the Correction Institute for Women./PN
