Celia Veloso waited 14 years to hear the words that her daughter, overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso, will finally be brought back to the Philippines.
It has been a roller coaster ride since Veloso was sentenced to death by a Yogyakarta court after she was caught with 2.6 kilos of heroin in Indonesia in 2010, including a Hail Mary reprieve of her execution in 2015.
“The whole family is extremely happy. Her children are ecstatic. They could not believe it,” Mrs. Veloso said in a video interview posted online by the Philippine Information Agency.
“Suddenly, their mother could return home. ‘At last,’ her youngest and eldest children said, ‘we will finally have a parent that can take care of us.’ Because they were not able to feel her presence,” she said, recalling the reactions of her grandchildren.
The family had endured years of despair over Mary Jane’s case, often feeling hopeless, Mrs. Veloso said.
“We almost lost hope. But now, with the help of the President, the people who are helping her, it is becoming clear,” she said. “We are happy because my daughter will finally come home.”
Earlier in the day, Mrs. Veloso expressed fear for her daughter’s life if she would be transferred to a Philippine jail, saying she might be safer if she remains jailed in Indonesia.
“Here in the Philippines, we cannot be certain because we’re up against an international syndicate,” she said in a separate television interview.
Mrs. Veloso recalled the threats her family had to endure in the past years.
“We were placed under NBI and police protection. Migrante had to hide us in Manila – Mary Jane’s husband, children and us,” she said.
Migrante International joined Veloso’s family in welcoming the good news that she will finally return home after 14 long years.
“We are elated that Mary Jane will be one step closer in her long, arduous journey to freedom,” the group said.
“We would like to extend our deep gratitude to all of Mary Jane’s supporters who came from all over the world, who believed Mary Jane’s story as a victim of human trafficking and stood alongside her family in their pursuit of justice throughout all these years.”
“We recognize the initiative of both the Philippine and Indonesian Governments in their efforts to pursue political and diplomatic solutions to address the plight of Mary Jane. We also acknowledge the initiatives of the Philippine government for working towards this agreement of ‘transfer of custory’ and in appealing for clemency for Mary Jane,” Migrante added. With Rio N. Araja
