lodi 646 'Malayo pa': Marcos says on clemency for Mary Jane Veloso

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday, December 19, that the matter of clemency for Mary Jane Veloso is still far off, but acknowledged that the Philippine government is fully in control of her freedom.

Veloso, who has been on death row in Indonesia for 14 years, finally came home to the Philippines on December 18. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was the first to announce her official homecoming in November, but has not directly stated that he would pardon her.

In an ambush interview in Pasay City, Marcos remained mum on the subject of clemency. 

“Ang layo pa, malayo pa tayo doon,” Marcos said. (It is still far, we are still far from it.) 

“We still have to have a look at really what her status is. And then of course, we’re aware of the request for clemency from her,” he said. 

Veloso was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking in 2010. Her imprisonment has presented both diplomatic and judicial challenges to Indonesia and the Philippines. 

“We will leave it to the legal judgement, the judgment of our legal experts to determine whether the provision of clemency is appropriate,” Marcos said. 

Her case has spanned three Philippine presidents. A last-minute appeal from the late president Benigno Aquino III saved Veloso from the firing squad but her freedom has remained suspended since then. 

In 2024, Indonesia updated its policies when it comes to foreign prisoners, deciding to turn them over to their home countries. 

The Department of Justice initially said that while the Philippines have physical custody over Veloso, legal custody will belong to Indonesia. 

In the initial six months of video conferencing—from May to October 2020—more than 100,000 hearings were conducted, with an average success rate of 88%, according to Marquez. As the courts adapted to the system, the success rate eventually climbed to 95%.

However, the Indonesian government has stated that the Philippines can decide on its own what to do with Veloso.  

Still technically a convicted prisoner, Veloso is currently detained at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW). In a brief statement upon her arrival, Veloso and her family directly appealed to Marcos to grant her clemency.

While at the CIWlodi 646, Veloso will undergo a 55-day orientation and evaluation.