DOJ confirms prisoner transfer talks for other Filipinos abroad, but mum on details

October 1, 2026

By ABOGADO.COM.PH Staff

Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty cited confidentiality in declining to disclose the number or identities of Filipinos involved in the discussions.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed that more Filipinos abroad are facing serious legal troubles including cases that could result in lengthy prison sentences or even the death penalty.

Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty, however, declined to disclose the number of Filipinos involved or provide details by citing confidentiality.

“Confidential yan, hindi ko masasabi kung ilan. Di ako makakabigay ng detalye pero makokonfirm ko lang na meron. May mga Pilipino na gano’ng kalagayan,” Ty said.

Ty was asked whether there were other Filipinos facing death or life imprisonment abroad with whom the Philippine government is negotiating possible prisoner transfer arrangements similar to the agreement that allowed Mary Jane Veloso to return to the Philippines.

He confirmed that there were such cases but said negotiations and discussions involving them remain confidential.

Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 after authorities found 2.5 kilograms of heroin in her luggage.

She was convicted and sentenced to death but was spared execution in 2015 following a last-minute reprieve.

After more than a decade in an Indonesian prison, Veloso was transferred to the Philippines in December 2024 under a prisoner transfer agreement between Manila and Jakarta.#