THE Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) will review the case of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, in light of her petition for clemency.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated that the OES will thoroughly examine the latest “minutes of the meeting” between Indonesia and the Philippines to determine if granting clemency would violate any laws.
“Just now, we spoke with the OES, and they said they will study the provisions and the minutes of their meeting with Indonesia to see if there are any laws that would be violated. The President’s decision will still prevail,” Castro said.
She added, “[They] will study the latest minutes of the meeting with Indonesia and see if any laws would be violated, and again, it is the President’s prerogative what he will grant.”
Earlier, Malacañang suggested that Mary Jane Veloso’s camp should personally deliver her open letter to President Marcos.
“It would be better if her open letter is personally delivered to the President for a proper decision regarding this matter,” Castro noted.
In her letter, Veloso appealed to the Philippine government to grant her freedom so she can care for her aging parents and children after 16 years of separation.
In her letter released by Migrante International, Veloso expressed that her only wish is to be reunited with her family and to give her children a mother’s love.
She also highlighted the hardship her parents endure, traveling 8 to 10 hours from Nueva Ecija to visit her, including the expenses for transportation and food.
Veloso also pointed out that, after being transferred to the Philippines a year ago, she remains imprisoned despite not having committed any crime in the country.
While Veloso is grateful for all the support she has received in her quest for freedom and prays that God blesses them for their kindness, she also appealed for continued support to campaign for her release.
Veloso is currently detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong, after being transferred from Indonesia to the Philippines.
She has spent 15 years in prison, and her original death sentence was commuted in 2015 following appeals from the Philippine government.
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