Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted Mary Jane Veloso an absolute pardon, clearing the way for her release after more than 16 years in detention.
Migrant and rights groups hailed the decision as a victory of a global campaign for Veloso’s freedom while renewing calls for stronger protection of Filipino trafficking victims.
“I’ll give you a scoop: I signed her pardon yesterday,” Marcos told reporters Friday, Sept. 25.
Veloso, 40, spent nearly 15 years in an Indonesian prison after she was arrested in 2010 and sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
Indonesia transferred her to the Philippines in December 2024 under an arrangement that allowed her to serve the remainder of her sentence under Philippine jurisdiction.
She has since been held at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
Agence France-Presse reported that Veloso is expected to be freed because she has no other active cases against her. Marcos did not say when she would be released.
Indonesian authorities arrested Veloso after finding 2.6 kilograms of heroin in the lining of a suitcase she was carrying. She has maintained that she did not know the luggage contained drugs and that recruiters deceived her while she was seeking work abroad.
Her execution was halted at the last minute in 2015 after Philippine authorities arrested her suspected recruiter and asked Indonesia to spare her so she could testify against her alleged traffickers.
Migrante International welcomed the pardon, calling it “a historic victory for the global people’s movement that has long fought for freedom and justice for Mary Jane as a victim of human trafficking.”
The migrant rights group said the campaign, which began with efforts to stop Veloso’s execution in 2015, drew support from people’s and migrant organizations, interfaith leaders, human rights groups, lawyers, elected officials and supporters in the Philippines and abroad.
“Mary Jane’s long-awaited freedom is a testament to the power of the people’s collective action,” Migrante said.
The group cited years of vigils, rallies, protests, prayers, petitions, lobbying and other actions aimed at pressing government leaders to act.
Migrante also credited Veloso’s parents and family for sustaining the campaign despite years of uncertainty over her fate.
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers said Veloso’s case reflected the vulnerability of Filipinos who seek work abroad and become exposed to trafficking and exploitation.
“After more than sixteen long years, Mary Jane Veloso is finally coming home free,” the NUPL said.
The group described Veloso as “a migrant worker and trafficking victim who came perilously close to execution.”
“In the process, she became a powerful symbol of the struggles endured by countless Filipinos driven abroad by necessity and made vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation,” the NUPL said.
The lawyers called for greater protection for trafficking victims, saying Veloso’s experience should not be repeated.
“Her freedom is cause for celebration. It is also a reminder of why trafficking victims must be met first with protection, compassion, and justice, and why no victim should have to spend years fighting simply to be recognized as one,” the group said.
Migrante said the pardon should also renew scrutiny of government policies affecting Filipino migrant workers.
The group described Veloso’s freedom as “long overdue” and accused the Marcos administration of committing “a grave injustice by prolonging her detention in Philippine prison for one year and nine months, when no charges have been brought against her in Philippine courts.”
Migrante called for accountability from government officials and stronger protection for migrant workers facing trafficking, detention and criminalization.
“Our campaign does not end here. This victory gives us the inspiration, courage and fuel to advance our movement to free migrant workers from exploitation and assert their full economic, social and political rights abroad and at home,” the group said.
Veloso’s mother, Celia, told AFP that her daughter’s lawyer informed the family about the pardon.
Celia said Veloso’s two sons were happy about the news and quoted them as saying, “‘We will finally be able to be with mama.’”
Veloso had traveled to Indonesia seeking work as a maid before her arrest. Her case prompted years of appeals from migrant organizations, women’s groups, human rights advocates, lawyers and church groups.
Malacañang had said earlier in the week that Marcos was considering an absolute pardon for Veloso on humanitarian grounds. Her appeal for executive clemency was reviewed by the Office of the President earlier this year.
