Mary Jane Veloso marked her 40th birthday on Friday with her family and supporters at the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City.
Veloso, who spent 14 years on death row in Indonesia before being transferred to the Philippines, remains in detention as clemency appeals continue.
Support groups and advocacy organizations, including Migrante International and church-based groups, called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to grant Veloso clemency, describing her continued incarceration as an injustice to a trafficking victim.
“Can we really say that Marcos has a heart if he is leaving Mary Jane, a trafficking victim, to suffer still in detention on her own birthday?” said Joanna Concepcion, chairperson of Migrante International.
Concepcion urged Marcos to “use his unbound power to grant her clemency if he truly cares to make a stand against human trafficking, which has become so pervasive in our country.”
Celia Veloso, Mary Jane’s mother, shared that while the family feels saddened by her continued detention on her birthday, they remain encouraged to campaign for clemency from President Marcos, taking comfort in the fact that Mary Jane is now in the Philippines.
“What we started for Mary Jane is not over. We have prayed so much, marched so many times, and many years have gone by. But we can still count on your solidarity so that Mary Jane can come home to us,” said Celia.
Veloso’s case has drawn attention to broader issues facing Filipino workers abroad, with over 50 nationals still on death row in various countries.
Advocates have called for systemic reforms to address the vulnerabilities of OFWs and prevent trafficking.
