The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers hailed the absolute pardon for Mary Jane Veloso, calling her story one of “extraordinary courage and resilience” after spending more than 16 years fighting for freedom following her 2010 death sentence for drug trafficking in Indonesia.
The NUPL said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s grant of absolute pardon brings immeasurable relief to Veloso, her family, and all those who stood with her through the years.
“Today, we celebrate Mary Jane, her family, and everyone who refused to give up on her,” it said.
It said the story of Veloso, who said she was tricked into transporting drugs in Indonesia by recruiters who promised her a job, embodies the struggles that many overseas Filipino workers face.
“Mary Jane’s story is one of extraordinary courage and resilience. A migrant worker and trafficking victim who came perilously close to execution, she never lost hope. In the process, she became a powerful symbol of the struggles endured by countless Filipinos driven abroad by necessity and made vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation,” it said.
It said her freedom is a cause for celebration and that it underscores the need to prioritize assistance for trafficking victims.
“It is also a reminder of why trafficking victims must be met first with protection, compassion, and justice, and why no victim should have to spend years fighting simply to be recognized as one,” the group said.
Veloso was convicted of drug trafficking by an Indonesian court after she was caught with heroin in her luggage, which she unwittingly transported upon the request of recruiters who promised her a job as a domestic helper.
She got a reprieve in 2015 after the Philippine government said her testimony was needed against her illegal recruiters. In 2024, she was repatriated following negotiations with Indonesia and detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.