Mary Jane Veloso's camp appeals to Marcos to grant her clemency

The camp of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina facing execution in Indonesia for drug trafficking, on Wednesday appealed to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to grant her clemency following an agreement that would allow her to return to the Philippines.

“Even as we continue to pray that Mary Jane will really step foot back in our homeland soon, we call on President Marcos Jr. to accord her immediate clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice,” Edre Olalia, one of Veloso's legal counsel, said in a statement on X.

Olalia issued the statement after Marcos announced that the government has reached an agreement with Indonesian authorities to bring Veloso back to the country.

GMA News Online has reached out to Malacañang regarding Olalia's appeal but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

Veloso was arrested in 2010 on drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to death.

In January, following Marcos’ meeting with then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Malacañang, Veloso’s family appealed for her clemency through a letter.

Meanwhile, Olalia said they are extending their appreciation to the Indonesian government for allowing Veloso to return to the Philippines.

“We express our appreciation to the Indonesian government for this exemplary act of goodwill,” Olalia said.

“We acknowledge the initiative of the present Philippine authorities in pursuing this political and diplomatic arrangement,” he added.

Olalia also expressed their gratitude to migrant and church groups in the Philippines and Indonesia as well as others.

Last week, Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction (Kemenko Kumham Imipas) said it is considering the option of “transfer of prisoner” or prisoner transfer for foreign inmates, including Veloso, as part of constructive diplomacy. —KBK, GMA Integrated News