MANILA: Malacanang will review its previous discussions with the Indonesian government following a new appeal for clemency from Indonesian death row convict Mary Jane Veloso, Palace press officer Claire Castro said on Tuesday (Feb 10).
This came after Veloso, in an open letter seeking freedom, cited her elderly parents’ difficulties in visiting her at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City and wanting to spend more time with her children.
In June 2025, relatives and supporters of Veloso also requested clemency from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr but did not come to fruition.
“We just spoke with the OES [Office of the Executive Secretary], and they said they will study what the provisions are and what the minutes of their meeting in Indonesia are, and it is still the President’s prerogative to follow” Castro said at a press briefing.
On Monday, Castro said it would be better for Veloso to address her appeal to Marcos to ensure proper action.
Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta in April 2010 after illegal drugs were found in luggage that was provided by her recruiter and an African man in Indonesia.
Her death sentence was commuted in 2015 after an appeal from Philippine officials led by then-President Benigno Aquino III, but she remained detained in Indonesia.
After more than 10 years of negotiations with Indonesia, Veloso was repatriated in 2024 under terms negotiated over two years by the Department of Foreign Affairs under the Marcos administration. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
