Mary Jane Veloso thanks Marcos, Prabowo for return to Philippines

Convicted overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso thanked President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and all those who worked for her return to the Philippines after being detained in Indonesia for 14 years.

Veloso arrived at the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport on Wednesday evening where she was welcomed by Filipino and Indonesian media. 

“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa lahat…sa Pilipinas,” Veloso said when asked by GMA Integrated News' Emil Sumangil after she stepped out of a black van while escorted by Indonesian authorities and met by members of the media.

“Maraming salamat kay President Prabowo...kay Pangulong Marcos," she added.

Veloso helped herself to a burger before the start of the scheduled press conference.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega gave her a phone and her face suddenly brightened as she talked to someone on video call. 

Veloso is expected to land in Manila on Wednesday morning. She will be brought directly to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City for a five-day quarantine. 

The 39-year-old Filipina was facing death after she was convicted for drug trafficking. She was caught with 2.6 kilos of heroin in Indonesia in 2010.

In 2015, then Indonesian President Joko Widodo said their government gave Veloso only a "temporary reprieve” from her scheduled execution in relation to alleged human trafficking. 

In November, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said  Manila and Jakarta reached an agreement to transfer Veloso to the Philippines, thanking Prabowo and his government for their goodwill. —NB, GMA Integrated News