MAKABAYAN bloc lawmakers yesterday asked President Marcos Jr. to grant clemency to death row convict Mary Jane Veloso who is set to be turned over by Indonesia to the Philippines.
In House Resolution No. 2128 filed yesterday, they noted calls from Veloso “supporters” for the President “to grant her immediate clemency for humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice.”
Veloso’s parents Celia and Cesar accompanied Reps. France Castro (ACT), Arlene Brosas (Gabriela), and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan) when they filed the resolution at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.
“The grant of clemency to Mary Jane has been a long time coming considering that she is a victim of human trafficking, and is not a drug mule,” the resolution said.
The militant lawmakers said the grant of clemency to Velasco “is not against the agreement between the Philippines and Indonesia, as this executive act does not necessarily extinguish the conviction, but only removes the penalty associated with the conviction, and in case of absolute pardon, restores civil rights.”
Veloso has been in jail in Indonesia since 2010 after airport authorities found over 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase. She was set for execution in 2015 but it was postponed following appeals of then-President Benigno Aquino III who explained that Veloso’s testimony is vital in the case she has filed against her recruiters.
Last month, the President said Veloso may return to the country by Christmas time.
Indonesia has vowed to respect any decision to be made by the Philippines, including granting Veloso clemency.
Details about Veloso’s transfer are still being finalized. On Tuesday, President Marcos said government will not make any announcement on Veloso’s case until everything “is settled,” as Indonesia has requested.
Brosas said Veloso’s case “starkly illustrates how the government’s labor export policy continues to endanger Filipino women.”
“Desperately seeking work abroad due to the lack of decent jobs at home, our women become vulnerable to trafficking syndicates and exploitation,” she said.
“How long will the government continue sending our people abroad to face risks and dangers? President Marcos Jr. must urgently grant clemency to Mary Jane and prioritize policies that promote genuine national industrialization and agricultural development to create decent jobs in the country,” she said.
She pointed out that Veloso’s case “represents thousands of Filipino women forced to seek work abroad due to the lack of local employment opportunities.”
“The Marcos Jr. administration must abandon this bankrupt labor export program,” she said. “Mary Jane deserves justice, and all Filipino women deserve the right to decent work in their own country. The labor export policy must end and be replaced with genuine industrialization.”
