Mary Jane Veloso transfer to women's correctional eyed upon arrival

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said Tuesday that Filipino death row drug convict Mary Jane Veloso may be detained in the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City upon her transfer to the Philippines.

In an ambush interview, Catapang said it is still up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to decide where Veloso will be detained once she is sent home, but the CIW has already started preparations in case she has to be processed there.

"May preparation na kami kasi we anticipate na doon siya dadalhin as announced by [Justice Assistant Secretary] Mico Clavano, she will be processed sa CIW inasmuch as she was already sentenced," the BuCor official said.

(We're already preparing because we anticipate that she will be brought to the CIW as announced by Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano, she will be processed there inasmuch as she was already sentenced.)

"We'll just await the orders from higher ups. Basta ready kami (Rest assured, we're ready)… We are ready to accept her upon her arrival," he added.

Catapang said Veloso's health has to be assessed first when she arrives, and she has to be isolated for five days.

"After that, may two months na assessment. Then maybe we can make the recommendation kung saan siya ilalagay—kung maximum, minimum, or medium," he said.

(After that, there is a two-month assessment. Then maybe we can make the recommendation where she has to be detained, whether in the maximum, minimum, or medium facility.)

DOJ ready to fetch

Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez, meanwhile, confirmed that Veloso will “most likely” be detained in the CIW but has to undergo physical checkup first to ensure that she is not suffering from any serious disease or ailment.

Justice Usec. Raul Vasquez says Mary Jane Veloso will “most likely” be detained in the Correctional Institution for Women once she is transferred to the Philippines from Indonesia.

He said Veloso will undergo physical checkup first to ensure that she has no ailments. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/Jei2Na0a32

— Giselle Ombay (@giselleombay_) December 10, 2024

“If she is, then she will be brought not to a corrections institute but to a hospital because that's the normal thing. Even under our present facilities, if there are persons deprived of liberty who are suffering from serious diseases, they are given furloughs and they are treated in hospitals,” Vasquez said in a separate ambush interview.

According to the DOJ official, their three attached agencies, namely the Bureau of Immigration (BI), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and BuCor, are ready for her anticipated return.

“As we speak, the Philippine Embassy led by the Consul General and the Indonesian Corrections and Immigration office are busy crafting the details for the transfer. Once the physical arrangements have been agreed upon, we, on the other hand, are ready to send our team in order to fetch her,” he added.

Clavano said Monday that the Indonesian government has indicated that it wants Veloso transferred to the Philippines by Christmas.

READ | Timeline: Mary Jane Veloso, from OFW dreamer to death row inmate

This developed as Indonesia and the Philippines on Friday formally agreed on the transfer of Veloso following a high-level meeting abroad.

Convicted of drug trafficking in 2010, Veloso has been on death row in Indonesia for over a decade.

Since the Philippines has no death penalty, it is up to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos whether to give her pardon or to commute her sentence to life in prison.

The camp of Veloso has also appealed to Marcos to grant her clemency following an agreement that would allow her to return to the Philippines. — VDV/RSJ, GMA Integrated News