25 November 2024 :
Intense and sustained diplomatic work between Indonesia and the Philippines has paved the way for the repatriation of Mary Jane Veloso, who was sentenced to death in 2010 on charges of drug trafficking, Asia News reported on November 20, 2024.
In 2015, when her execution was about to be carried out along with that of eight other prisoners, the then Philippine president, Benigno Aquino III, asked his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, to allow Veloso to testify against members of the drug and human trafficking network.
Widodo turned down several clemency requests and only the recent arrival of Prabowo Subianto to the presidency was it possible to repatriate Veloso.
“This is a wonderful development and a fruit of successful diplomacy,” Cardinal-designate Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan told AsiaNews.
“There is a Talmudic saying: ‘To save one life is to save the whole world.’ We do not believe in capital punishment, whether done according to the law or extrajudicially,” said Bishop David, who also chairs the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“After over a decade of diplomacy and consultations with the Indonesian government, we managed to delay her execution long enough to reach an agreement to finally bring her back to the Philippines,” said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a statement on November 20.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government for their goodwill. This outcome is a reflection of the depth of our nation’s partnership with Indonesia – united in a shared commitment to justice and compassion,” Marcos added.
Prabowo and Marcos met on two occasions: The Indonesian president visited Manila before his inauguration, while Marcos attended Prabowo’s swearing-in ceremony in Indonesia last month.
Veloso, who is now 39, was accused in 2010 of trying to smuggle 2.6 kg of heroin into Indonesia. The mother of two has always maintained her innocence.
Born into a low-income family in Nueva Ecija, a province located in the central Luzon region, she worked as a domestic worker in Dubai but was travelling to Indonesia to escape an abusive employer.
Her recruiter, Christine (aka Cristina), asked Veloso to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Yogyakarta, giving her 0 and a suitcase to deliver to a man.
Veloso was stopped at Yogyakarta's Adisucipto Airport because heroin was found wrapped in aluminium foil concealed inside the lining of the suitcase.
In 2015, President Benigno Aquino III personally called the then Indonesian Foreign Minister, Retno Masurdi, the day before Veloso's execution. Only 11 hours was left, but the execution was postponed.
That year, several other foreign nationals were put to death, including two Australians who led a group involved in drug smuggling.
The Philippine Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo de Vega, explained that Indonesia agreed to send Veloso home without asking for anything in return, adding that the details are still being worked out.
The Philippine ambassador to Indonesia hopes that Veloso will be able to return home before the end of the year. For her part, Veloso would like to go home for Christmas.
Veloso’s transfer would remove the possibility of her facing an execution because the Philippines, Asia’s largest Roman Catholic nation, has long abolished the death penalty.
