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Mary Jane Veloso arrives at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong on December 18, 2024.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Mary Jane Veloso arrives at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong on December 18, 2024. 
Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Mary Jane Veloso- Arrives- CIW

Lyza Aquino

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

<p>After 14 years, Filipina drug convict Mary Jane Veloso has finally come home.</p><div> </div><p>The 39-year-old mother,  who was arrested and sentenced to death by Indonesian authorities in 2010 after 2.6 kilograms of heroin was found in her luggage, arrived in Manila at around 5:50 a.m. Wednesday aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J 760.</p><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABR7I_RTLtp0-GFj&amp;activation=adfill&amp;vip_mode=no"></script><p>She earlier surprised her family with an unexpected phone call from Jakarta Tuesday evening. Relatives of Veloso were having dinner at the Migrante International Headquarters in Quezon City when Veloso called inside the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.</p><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABR7M2ki2VRuou1d&amp;activation=adfill&amp;vip_mode=no"></script><p>&quot;Nabigla kami nung may tumatawag kay tatay atsaka kay nanay... tumatawag from overseas tapos si Mary Jane pala. Iyakan talaga at hiyawan. (kailan tumawag?) Noong nasa [airport] lounge na siya. Tuwang tuwa ‘yung mga kapatid,&quot; said Josie Pingkihan, Deputy Secretary General of Migrante International.</p><div> </div><p>“Yun po, yun nga po sobrang saya po naming lahat, lahat po kami dito nakausap po siya, yun nga po umiiyak po na sobrang saya po, makakauwi na po siya. Sobrang saya po kasi po eh yun nga po mabubuo na po yung pamilya namin na ngayong Pasko po at bagong taon po,” said Mark Danielle Candelaria, Veloso&#x27;s eldest son.</p><div> </div><p>When asked if there&#x27;s something that Veloso requested from her family, Mark said:“May dala po kaming adobong baboy po mamaya po, ‘yun po ‘yung talagang request po ni mama.”</p><div> </div><p>Veloso’s parents and 2 sons were already in Manila a few days ago in preparation for her return, while Veloso&#x27;s 4 siblings and other in-laws arrived Tuesday evening.</p><div> </div><p>Veloso was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after 2.6 kilograms of heroin was found in her luggage, but the Filipina asserted that the bag was only handed to her by her recruiters.</p><p>She narrowly escaped death in 2015 after her recruiters were arrested shortly before her scheduled execution.</p><div> </div><p>Reports of Veloso&#x27;s transfer to a Philippine prison started earlier this year, shortly after new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto rose to power.</p><div> </div><div><strong>OVERCOME</strong></div><div> </div><p>Meanwhile, Veloso family members wept openly after failing to see and hug Mary Jane upon her arrival at the NAIA Terminal 3.</p><div> </div><p>“Ngayon na nga lang ako magkakaroon ng nanay dito sa Pilipinas, di man lang kami pinayagan makita at yakapin siya sa pag-uwi niya. Sana huwag nang patagalin pa ang pagdurusa ng aming pamilya,” said Darren Candelaria, 16, the younger son of Mary Jane who was less than 2 years old when Mary Jane left the country and fell victim to human traffickers.</p><div> </div><p>“Masakit po dahil hindi man lang ipinakita sa amin kahit kaunti,” Mary Jane’s mother, Celia, told ABS-CBN News.</p><div> </div><p>Mary Jane’s sister, meanwhile, said she does not hold grudges against authorities, saying she is glad that Mary Jane is home safe.</p><div> </div><p>Veloso was reunited with family members after she was brought straight to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong, assisted by authorities from NBI, Bureau of Correction and DOJ.</p><div> </div><p>Veloso family members earlier asked law enforcers to secure Mary Jane after the family received threats from Mary Jane’s recruiters, who claimed to be part of a criminal syndicate. One of the recruiters is currently in jail.</p><div> </div><p>Philippine authorities said Mary Jane was prohibited to embrace her family and supporters after years of separation because of a four-day quarantine set by the DOJ upon arrival to her home country.</p><div> </div><p>Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other officials welcomed the transfer as Veloso would be spared from execution because the Philippines does not have a death penalty law in place.</p><div> </div><p>Veloso had called her transfer a &quot;miracle&quot; as she was supposed to be executed in 2015, but was spared as the recruiters who allegedly stashed the illegal drugs in her luggage were arrested moments before she was killed via a firing squad.</p><div> </div><p>Veloso’s family is also hoping that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will grant clemency for Mary Jane.</p><div> </div><p>“Sana po kay Pangulong Bongbong Marcos po, sa government po natin sana po ibigay na po yung clemency na hinihingi po namin - pamilya Veloso po. Sa tagal din po ng panahon 14 years po na wala naman pong kasalanan yung magulang ko,” Candelaria said.</p><div> </div><p>&quot;Yung pagpapanawagan pa rin for clemency para kay Mary Jane dahil hindi naman siya nagkasala at biktima siya ng human trafficking dito sa Pilipinas,&quot; said Pingkihan.</p><div> </div><div> </div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bgC1rdTYuKc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Filipina death row convict Mary Jane Veloso arrived in the Philippines Wednesday morning after more than a decade of incarceration in Indonesia.</p>

Filipina death row convict Mary Jane Veloso arrived in the Philippines Wednesday morning after more than a decade of incarceration in Indonesia.

Mary Jane Veloso arrives in PH after 14-year imprisonment in Indonesia

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Mary Jane Veloso arrives in PH after 14-year imprisonment in Indonesia

Lyza Aquino,

David Dizon,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 18, 2024 06:01 AM PHT

|

Updated December 18, 2024 01:44 PM PHT

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