PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has granted an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, bringing an end to her 15-year legal ordeal.
President Marcos confirmed on Friday that he signed the executive clemency, though he declined to provide further details before departing.
The decision follows remarks from Palace press officer Claire Castro, who noted that the Office of the President considered granting Veloso an absolute pardon on humanitarian grounds.
Castro clarified that there was no requirement to notify the Indonesian government regarding the administration’s decision.
Veloso’s release marks the final chapter in a high-profile international case. In 2010, she was arrested at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, after authorities discovered 2.6 kilograms of heroin hidden in her luggage.
Sentenced to death, Veloso consistently maintained her innocence, stating she was duped into carrying the suitcase by her recruiters, Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao.
Hours before her scheduled execution by firing squad on April 29, 2015, former President Benigno Aquino III made a last-minute plea after her recruiters surrendered in the Philippines.
Indonesia granted a temporary reprieve, though the timing was so close that several media outlets prematurely reported her death.
Following a decade of continuous diplomatic efforts, President Marcos announced in November 2025 that the Philippine and Indonesian governments had forged a historic prisoner transfer agreement.
On December 18, 2024, Veloso returned to Manila and was placed in custody at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
Her family and advocates, including the migrant rights group Migrante, consistently pushed for her full release and the resolution of the legal proceedings against her recruiters, who face charges of qualified human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and estafa.
Veloso’s parents, Celia and Caesar, along with her legal team, had repeatedly petitioned the Supreme Court and the President to expedite her testimony and grant clemency on compelling humanitarian grounds.
With President Marcos granting an absolute pardon, Veloso will finally walk free after spending more than a decade on death row in Indonesia and over a year detained in the Philippines without formal charges.
