Former OFW Mary Jane Veloso has been granted an absolute pardon by the Philippine president on September 25, 2026.
After years of uncertainty over her fate, Mary Jane Veloso is set to regain her freedom after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted her an absolute pardon.
Marcos confirmed on Friday (September 25) that he had signed the pardon the previous day. “I signed her pardon yesterday,” Marcos told reporters during an interview in Eastern Samar.
Veloso, a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) and mother of two, has spent nearly 15 years imprisoned in Indonesia and more than a year in Philippine custody after returning home in December 2024.
She was arrested at Yogyakarta’s Adisutjipto International Airport in April 2010 after authorities found 2.6kg of heroin concealed in a suitcase she was carrying. She was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death by an Indonesian court.
Veloso has consistently maintained that she did not know the suitcase contained illegal drugs and that she had been deceived by people who recruited her to work abroad. Her case later became linked to human trafficking proceedings against her alleged recruiter.
Her scheduled execution in April 2015 was halted at the last minute after Philippine authorities appealed to Indonesia to spare her life so she could testify in the case against her alleged traffickers. The reprieve came so close to the scheduled execution that some Philippine media outlets mistakenly reported that she had already been executed.
Years of diplomatic negotiations eventually led to an agreement allowing Veloso to return to the Philippines in December 2024. Under the transfer arrangement, she remained a prisoner under Philippine jurisdiction, with the Philippines given authority to grant clemency.
Her pardon now clears the way for her release, although her legal team said the necessary procedures still have to be completed.
Veloso’s lead lawyer, Edre Olalia, described the development as a long-awaited moment for the family. “It’s a good afternoon. It is going to be a good day and it’s going to be the good rest of her life for Mary Jane Veloso,” Olalia said.
Olalia said the legal team broke into hugs, applause and congratulations after learning that Marcos had signed the pardon. He also said Veloso’s mother was “crying with joy” after hearing the news.
Veloso’s father, Cesar, said the family had been waiting for the President’s decision for years, and said that the family was extremely happy because they had been waiting for the President to sign his daughter’s release.
With the pardon signed, Veloso’s family is now looking forward to having her home with them after years spent apart. CAM/Expat Media
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