Mary Jane Veloso returns to the Philippines after nearly 15 years

The 39-year-old only reunited with her parents and two sons at the CIW.

Her family hopes President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will grant her executive clemency.

"I'm so happy I'm able to come home to our country. I appeal to the president that I be given clemency," Veloso told reporters.

Her return was celebrated by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs as a "significant achievement" for the bilateral relations between the country and Indonesia.

"We would, therefore, like to take this moment to reiterate our sincerest thanks to the Indonesian Government for this humanitarian action. Their generosity has made this momentous day of Ms. Veloso's return to the Philippines," the DFA said in a statement.

Veloso will undergo a five-day quarantine at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor)'s Reception and Diagnostic Center, as part of a protocol for a new person deprived of liberty. During the quarantine, she will undergo a medical examination and physical examination.

Afterward, she will undergo a 55-day orientation, diagnostic evaluation, and initial security classification before she's assigned to her designated corrections facility.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said Veloso, during the flight, wasn't in a handcuff or subjected to any instrument of restraint. He noted that this was in line with the standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners, as adopted by the First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders.

“Under the said rules, such instruments must not be applied for any longer time than is strictly necessary,” Catapang said. "Wala naman siyang balak tumakas or saktan ang sarili niya dahil gusto na nga niyang makauwi ng Pilipinas, so bakit pa natin kakailanganin ang posas?"

The officer assured Veloso’s family that they may visit her on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, as her quarantine period would have ended by that time.

Department of Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres, however, said that she will not receive special treatment to return to Nueva Ecija for the coming holidays.

"Rule of law tayo, hindi naman ho maari na basta makauwi sa probinsya ang tao na nagsisilbi ng kanyang sintensiya. Ngunit, sa loob ng CIW, bibigyan ng puwang at lugar para magkaroon ng family reunion at kahit papano sa araw ng pasko maari silang magkasama-sama," he said.

Veloso's case

Over a decade ago on April 25, 2010, Veloso was apprehended at Adisucipto International Airport in the city of Yogyakarta after authorities found her in possession of over 2.6 kilos of heroin.

She said she was unaware of the contents of her luggage, noting that it had been given to her by her recruiters Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao.

Veloso was sentenced to death in October of that year after she was found guilty of drug trafficking. 

In 2011, the late former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III intervened and requested clemency with then-Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, who temporarily prohibited executions. Veloso's capital punishment was put on hold until Joko Widodo's administration began in 2014.

At Widodo's state visit in February 2015, Aquino again reportedly appealed for Veloso's case. The late president requested clemency anew in a third letter when former Vice President Jejomar Binay traveled to Indonesia.

On April 24, 2015, Veloso was transferred to the maximum security prison island of Nasa Kumabangan where she was scheduled to be executed.

The tides turned as Veloso's recruiter Sergio surrendered to authorities on April 28. Meanwhile, Aquino had reportedly "broken protocol" to save Veloso.

Almendras told reporters that the former president talked to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi to ask Veloso to be turned into a state witness to help Indonesia pin down a drug trafficking syndicate.

The Filipina was granted a last-minute reprieve from execution at 1 a.m. on April 20.

Meanwhile, former president Rodrigo Duterte reportedly gave the "go-ahead" to Widodo to execute Veloso in September 2016.

On Nov. 20, 2024, Marcos announced that the Philippines reached an agreement to bring Veloso home.