By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter
FILIPINO DOMESTIC worker Mary Jane F. Veloso will ultimately return to the Philippines after ten years of imprisonment in Indonesia, authorities stated, a development largely applauded in a nation recognized for sending its labor force abroad.
However, Ms. Veloso will continue to be held in custody upon her arrival in the Philippines until both Southeast Asian countries come to a mutual understanding regarding clemency, according to Foreign Undersecretary for Migration Eduardo de Vega during a Palace briefing on Wednesday.
Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. disclosed earlier in the day that Manila and Jakarta had come to an agreement to repatriate Ms. Veloso, referencing over ten years of diplomatic negotiations between the nations.
The Filipino overseas employee received a death sentence in October 2010 but was granted a reprieve from execution in April 2015. Ms. Veloso, who was apprehended for smuggling 2.6 kilograms of heroin concealed within the seams of a suitcase, has been identified by her legal team as a victim of human trafficking.
“Arrested in 2010 on drug trafficking accusations and condemned to death, Mary Jane’s situation has been a long and arduous journey,” Mr. Marcos stated, asserting that she is a victim.
“After more than ten years of diplomatic efforts and discussions with the Indonesian government, we were able to postpone her execution long enough to finalize an agreement to bring her back to the Philippines.”
Mr. De Vega, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) representative, mentioned that the Indonesian government did not request anything in exchange.
Nevertheless, Ms. Veloso “will not be promptly released” upon her arrival in the Philippines.
“This implies we will ensure her detention until we mutually agree [with Indonesia] that she could receive clemency,” he expressed. “But at the very least, she would be here.”
When asked if Ms. Veloso, the sole Filipino on death row in Indonesia, is entirely exempt from the penalty, he said: “Nothing is guaranteed, but the fact that Indonesia is communicating with us about her transfer is the most indicative sign that they do not intend to execute her.”
“And clearly, once she arrives here, she is entirely secure.”
Although the Philippines will possess physical custody over Ms. Veloso, legal custody will remain with Indonesia, Philippine Department of Justice (DoJ) spokesperson Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV confirmed during the same briefing.
“The Indonesian government understands that we do not have the death penalty here, which they respect, and this is a significant consideration when they also enacted the policy of transferring certain detained persons back to their respective nations,” he noted.
“Indonesia is not relinquishing its jurisdiction over the matter,” Mr. De Vega remarked. However, it is technically recognized that the Indonesian government has already conceded “there will be no execution, which is still a considerable concession.”
Mr. Clavano stated that the Philippine Justice Department was still planning for the detention facility for Ms. Veloso, with the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City among the options.
Philippine senators have acknowledged the development, with Senate Migrant Workers Chairperson Rafael T. Tulfo citing Mr. Marcos’ “successful diplomatic initiatives that paved the way” for Ms. Veloso’s forthcoming return.
Senate President Francis G. Escudero expressed appreciation to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and the entire Indonesian administration for their kindness.
“We urge the relevant authorities to guarantee the safety of Mary Jane upon her return to the Philippines and to reach out to her family to address any fears or concerns they might have regarding her transfer,” he stated.
Much of the acknowledgment should be directed to the DFA, which has managed her case over an extended period, stated Hansley A. Juliano, a political science instructor at Ateneo de Manila University.
‘POPULIST PRESIDENTS’
“Simultaneously, we must also consider the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Ms. Veloso’s interactions with two populist leaders trying to project a ‘tough on crime’ facade in both the Philippines and Indonesia,” he added, referring to former Philippine president Rodrigo R. Duterte and former Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo.
Mr. Duterte’s foreign affairs spokesperson in 2016 mentioned that he had informed Mr. Widodo that “he respects their judicial procedures and will accept whatever final verdict they arrive at regarding her situation.”
The late former Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay made this statement after reports indicated that Mr. Duterte had given the Indonesian government the green light to execute Ms. Veloso.
The drug trafficking case of Ms. Veloso has long been resolved, but the Indonesian administration in 2015 consented to postpone her execution amid the ongoing case against her recruiters at a trial court in Nueva Ecija, to the north of the capital Manila.
It was significantly beneficial that the late President Benigno S.C. Aquino III requested Indonesia at the last minute to allow Ms. Veloso to become a state witness.
His foreign secretary, the late Albert F. del Rosario, indicated that Indonesia granted Ms. Veloso a reprieve to permit her to testify against her recruiters, in a strategy the Aquino administration proposed to pursue a drug trafficking syndicate allegedly associated with the victim’s recruiters.
Mr. Clavano stated that Ms. Veloso’s return will expedite the case since “it’s very convenient for us to have a witness available for the prosecution.”
“The reason that this case has taken so long is precisely due to the limited opportunities to interview or obtain her testimony. It requires significant costs and the presence of a full team in Indonesia, including the judge herself,” he elaborated.
“Thus, whenever we secured her testimony via deposition, the Indonesian government mandated that a complete team, including the judge and prosecutors, must be present,” he continued. “The workload of these officials and the availability of the families make it quite complicated to organize a common schedule.”
“Having her in the Philippines will be significantly more convenient and will unquestionably hasten the process of the case.”
‘TRAVERSED ADMINISTRATIONS’
The Liberal Party, the vehicle through which Mr. Aquino reached the presidency in 2010, acknowledged Mr. Marcos’ efforts and observed that saving Ms. Veloso “traversed administrations.”
“During PNoy’s (Mr. Aquino’s) tenure, the DoJ and DFA strived for a last-minute reprieve for Mary Jane’s scheduled execution, culminating in a midnight call from PNoy to then-President Widodo of Indonesia,” it stated.
“It was a race to finalize an agreement with President Widodo, so urgent that some Philippine newspapers published morning editions that reported a supposed execution that, fortunately, did not occur,” it added.
In Mr. Duterte’s administration, all acknowledgment for saving Ms. Veloso from execution is attributed to Indonesia, as the outspoken Filipino politicians “asserted that his administration did not mind if a drug offender like Mary Jane was ultimately executed,” the Liberal Party remarked.
“This was merely consistent with his policy of summarily executing drug suspects within his own nation,” it continued. “Ultimately, the Philippine government has accomplished its mission to permanently halt her execution.”
The Philippine economy has heavily depended on remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), largely due to labor regulations developed by Mr. Marcos’ late father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr., in the 1970s.
The labor policies encouraged overseas contract employment.
Estimates indicated that the count of OFWs reached 10.2 million in 2023, among them 2.3 million migrant laborers. More than 50% of the registered OFWs that same year were women.
Remittances, which are a crucial source of income and foreign exchange for the Philippines, accounted for 8.5% of the nation’s gross domestic product in 2023.
“We must ensure that no Filipino migrant worker becomes a victim of yet another death sentence,” Senator Mary Grace Natividad S. Poe-Llamanzares remarked in a statement.