Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said Manila did not violate its prisoner transfer agreement with Indonesia when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso.
Vida said Indonesia agreed to Veloso’s repatriation to the Philippines under the agreement signed by the two countries in December 2024, which allows Philippine authorities to determine how her sentence would be enforced once she was transferred to the country.
Under the agreement, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said, the continued enforcement of Veloso’s sentence in the Philippines would be governed by Philippine laws and procedures, including the authority to grant “permission, amnesty, and any other form of clemency.”
“Maliwanag doon sa kasunduan na yung nalipat na si Mary Jane dito sa bansa natin, pasya na ng Pilipinas kung anong mangyayari kay Mary Jane sa pagsilbi ng kanyang sentensya at kung mabibigan siya ng kahit anong executive clemency,” Ty said.
Vida said the government coordinated with Indonesia while considering the pardon but saw no conflict between the President’s action and the agreement between the two countries.
“We don’t see anything contrary to what has been agreed upon,” Vida said.
He said the Philippines recognizes Indonesia’s legal system while Indonesia likewise recognizes the President’s authority to grant executive clemency under Philippine law.
“Kaya wala tayong nakikita na balakid o magiging iba ang pananaw ng Indonesia sa bagay na ito,” Vida said.
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 later that year.
She narrowly avoided execution in 2015 after Indonesian authorities granted a last-minute reprieve following developments in the Philippines involving the prosecution of her alleged recruiters.
After more than a decade in an Indonesian prison, Veloso was transferred to the Philippines in December 2024 following years of diplomatic negotiations between Manila and Jakarta.#