Jaehwa Bernardo

Mary Jane Veloso reunites with her family after arriving at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong on December 18, 2024. 
Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Veloso kin travel back to Manila to visit Mary Jane on Christmas Day

Lyza Aquino

Zen Hernandez

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:959px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173509055739820241218-mary-jane-veloso-family-MT689.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Mary Jane Veloso reunites with her family after arriving at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong on December 18, 2024. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA — For the first time in almost 15 years, the Veloso family will be spending their first Christmas together with drug convict Mary Jane Veloso here in the Philippines.</div><p>This was the family&#x27;s second visit inside the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong, where Veloso was detained since her arrival in the country last Wednesday.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/12/18/mary-jane-veloso-reunites-with-family-2209"><strong>READ: Mary Jane Veloso reunites with family</strong></a></div><p>According to Celia Veloso, Mary Jane&#x27;s mother, a total of 23 family members celebrated Christmas on Wednesday with Mary Jane. They include her two sons, Danielle and Darren Candelaria, as well as Mary Jane&#x27;s three sisters, grandparents, aunts, nieces and nephews.</p><p>&quot;Masayang masaya kaming lahat. Sa loob ng 15 taon, makakasama na namin siya ng Pasko. Mga kapatid nya, tita at tito, mga pamangkin niya, &#x27;yun &#x27;yung mga kasama,&quot; Celia said.</p><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1871710652534010366&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-12-25T01%3A30%3A01.935451%3A31f9ed29-4085-4cd3-a432-5d5e93d945a0%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=8517d9a638eecea06553441b58dc967d671abea1&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:316px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1871710652534010366"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>“Masaya po nagkakita-kita po kami saka nayakap po namin,” Veloso&#x27;s aunt Apolonia Piyesta said.</p><p>“Halo-halo na po may tuwa, may lungkot. Syempre, ngayon ko lang po nakita kaya sobrang saya po,” said another aunt, Imelda Magday. </p><p>Veloso is still adjusting to her new surroundings and was unable to sleep for the first 3 days. But her mood was immediately lifted when she saw her family again, especially her children, her parents said.</p><p>“Ngayon ko lang po nakasama ng Pasko yung nanay ko kaya masayang-masaya po ako. Tapos po lahat po kami nakasama, kaya sobrang saya po ng aming pamilya,” added Veloso&#x27;s 16-year-old son Darren.</p><p>Veloso expressed concern upon learning that her eldest son did not finish school, her family said.</p><p>“Yakapan po, tapos kiniss naming magkapatid. Tapos yun po, mag-aral daw po ako ng college, kami pong magkapatid… pero sabi ko naman sa kanya babalik ako,” said Veloso&#x27;s 22-year-old son Mark Danniel. </p><p>Her family also noticed that Veloso was having a hard time speaking Filipino.</p><p>“Nung pong kakain na kami, magpe-pray siya po nag-lead ng prayers. Yung prayers niya nung una Tagalog tapos biglang Bahasa na. Pero hinayaan lang namin… nagulat kami, nag-aadjust pa siya,” said eldest sister Leah.</p><p>But unlike their first meeting, the family had more time to catch up with each other this time. Veloso recounted what she went through in the last 15 years, especially when she narrowly escaped death by firing squad in April 2015.</p><p>“Maraming tao na hindi naniniwala na wala akong kasalanan, sabi daw niya. Pero ikaw lang yung nakakaalam papa God, ikaw lang nakakaalam na wala akong kasalanan… ngayon niya lang kinwento yun, yung pangyayari na yon. Kaya iyakan kami,” her sister Maritess said.</p><p>Veloso hopes to speak or just see President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to either make a personal plea or just pray for her clemency, her family said. </p><p>“Gustong-gusto raw niya makita si President, kahit malayo. Gusto niyang matanaw, gusto niyang ipagdasal na Lord hipuin mo si Presidente, ipaisip mo sa kanya, sabihin mo sa kanya na bigyan ako ng clemency,” Maritess added.</p><p>Still, the family is  thankful that Veloso is now safe from death and that they can now visit her easily compared to when she was incarcerated in Indonesia.</p><p>“Wala raw pera kaya sabi niya pwede na yung minsan sa isang buwan. Kung ako, kung maaari lang, linggo-linggo eh, kung may pera,” said her father Cesar. </p><p>Veloso&#x27;s mother Celia said they would visit Mary Jane again on her 40th birthday on January 10. </p><p>&quot;Ang mahalaga sana ay makalaya na siya. Ang plano namin sa birthday niya mga (January) 9 babalik kami dito. January 10 birthday niya eh,&quot; she said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/24/int-l-lawyers-urge-ph-gov-t-to-grant-absolute-pardon-to-mary-jane-veloso-1055"><strong>READ: Int&#x27;l lawyers urge PH gov&#x27;t to grant absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><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/_sKi66COxYo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><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/XL7bMSgkGIA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>For the first time in almost 15 years, the Veloso family spent their first Christmas together with drug convict Mary Jane Veloso here in the Philippines.</p>

For the first time in almost 15 years, the Veloso family spent their first Christmas together with drug convict Mary Jane Veloso here in the Philippines.

Mary Jane Veloso spends Christmas Day with family for first time in nearly 15 years

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Mary Jane Veloso spends Christmas Day with family for first time in nearly 15 years

Lyza Aquino,

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 25, 2024 09:55 AM PHT

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Updated December 25, 2024 10:44 PM PHT

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