Mary Jane to stay at Women’s Correctional for 60 days
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the Filipino nation in looking forward to the return of overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso, who was jailed in Indonesia for 14 years for drug trafficking.
“We’re celebrating already,” Mr. Marcos said during the sidelines of the inauguration of the Department of Migrant Workers’ Bagong Pilipinas One-Stop OFW AKSYON Center.
The 39-year-old Veloso was set to arrive from Jakarta earlier today (6 a.m. Wednesday), accompanied by Philippine officials led by Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega.
Preparations for he return home began Sunday when she was moved from her detention facility in Yogyakarta to a prison in Jakarta, over 400 kilometers away.
Veloso’s case drew significant international attention after advocates and the Philippine government repeatedly asserted that the mother of two was a victim of human trafficking and unwittingly used as a drug courier.
She was given a last-minute reprieve in April 2015 when the Philippine government informed Indonesia that her recruiters had surrendered.
Last month, Mr. Marcos bared that Indonesia agreed to repatriate Veloso.
Veloso will stay for at least 60 days at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong as a “newly-committed person deprived of liberty,” the Bureau of Corrections said.
BuCor said based on their manual for PDL confinement, Veloso will have to undergo a five-day quarantine first.
With her quarantine period ending on December 24, Veloso’s immediate family can visit her in time for Christmas, Catapang said.
This will be followed by a 55-day orientation on PDL rights and privileges, PDL reformation programs, and PDL grievance machinery; diagnostic evaluation; and initial security classification at the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC).
After her 60 day stay at the Correctional, “she will be transferred to her assigned corrections facility based on the approved resolution of the RDC Initial Classification Board,” BuCor said.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the Palace has no official position yet on whether a presidential pardon for Veloso is being considered.
“Nothing to say yet on what may happen,” Bersamin said in a statement. “The priority of PBBM is to have Veloso repatriated without delay.”
OFW party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino on Monday filed a resolution asking President Marcos to grant a presidential pardon to Veloso.
“Mary Jane’s story is a stark reminder of the dangers our OFWs face in their pursuit of a better life. By seeking a pardon, President Marcos can help restore her dignity and show the world that the Philippines stands firmly in protecting its citizens abroad,” Magsino said.
“A pardon would not only end the lingering shadow of her conviction but also reaffirm our commitment to fighting for justice for every OFW,” she added.
