Marcos ‘seriously considering’ pardon for Veloso–Palace
Malacañang on Wednesday said President Marcos was “seriously considering” granting an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipino woman who came close to being executed in Indonesia for a drug trafficking conviction but was later allowed to be moved to a Philippine prison to serve the rest of her commuted sentence.
Asked during a briefing at the Palace whether Veloso could be released on humanitarian grounds in time for Christmas, Palace press officer Claire Castro replied it would depend on Mr. Marcos.
“Should I preempt the President? It could be earlier. We don’t know,” Castro said. “Let us wait for the President to speak [about this].”
At the House of Representatives, Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia said, “there will be an announcement in a few days.”
“The Office of the President is seriously considering to grant absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso on humanitarian grounds in support of the government’s commitment to protecting Filipino migrant workers,” Garcia, the second-ranking member of the House appropriations committee, said as he defended Mr. Marcos’ office budget.
‘Relentless calls’
The Marcos administration had received multiple petitions and appeals to grant Veloso clemency since 2024, but none of these were granted.
Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago said Veloso “should have long been freed” after years of incarceration and “relentless calls for her release.
Veloso was arrested by Indonesian authorities in 2010 after 2.6 kilograms of heroin were found hidden in her suitcase. She maintained she had been duped into carrying the luggage and was a victim of human trafficking. Later that year, she was sentenced to death by firing squad.
A moratorium on capital punishment in Indonesia delayed her execution for nearly five years. In 2015, Veloso received a last-minute reprieve after then President Benigno Aquino III appealed to Jakarta, arguing she could be a vital witness in prosecuting drug syndicates.
Veloso, now 41 years old, was repatriated to the Philippines on Dec. 18, 2024, after Manila and Jakarta agreed that she could serve her sentence in the country.
She has been detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, a Bureau of Corrections facility for female convicts.
Presidential power
Castro said the possible pardon for Veloso would no longer require concurrence from the Indonesian government.
The power to grant pardon, except for individuals convicted in an impeachment trial, is given to the President under Section 19, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution.
An absolute pardon totally extinguishes the criminal liability of a convicted individual without any condition. However, it does not exempt the offender from the payment of civil indemnity imposed by the court in the sentence.
It restores to the individual their civil and political rights, allowing them to exercise their right to vote and serve in public office.
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