Mary Jane Veloso’s parents, sons to visit her in Indonesia next week

The parents and sons of Filipino death row convict Mary Jane Veloso are set to visit her in Indonesia next week ahead of her expected return to the Philippines before Christmas.

Mary Jane’s parents, Celia and Cesar, told Unang Balita in an interview on Wednesday that they will go to Jakarta on December 15 to visit Mary Jane, who has been jailed for 14 years.

“Dadalaw po kami sa Indonesia sa [December] 15 (We will visit Indonesia on December 15),” Celia said.

“Maski mahina na yung tuhod kong lalakad-lakad ay talagang obligado po ako at pumunta kasi mahal ko po yung aking anak (Even though my knees are too weak to walk around, I am really obligated to go because I love my daughter),” Cesar said.

Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson Mico Clavano on Monday said Indonesia has indicated that it wants Mary Jane Veloso transferred to the Philippines by Christmas.

Indonesia and the Philippines last week formally agreed to the transfer of Veloso following a high-level meeting held abroad.

According to Celia, Mary Jane is happy and cannot wait to return to the Philippines. According to her, Mary Jane’s sons said they will make good memories with their mother.

“Masaya rin po siya kaya lang pakiramdam ko po inip na inip na. Gustong-gusto na po talagang makauwi,” Celia said.

(She is happy too, but I feel she cannot wait to return to the Philippines. She really wants to go home.)

“Masayang-masaya po. Sabi nga po nila wala raw po silang sasayangin na oras kapag kasama na nila yung mama nila. Gagawin daw po nila lahaht ng maganda para masayahan yung nanay nila,” she added.

(They are very happy. They say they won't waste any time when they are with their mom. They said they will do everything nice to make their mother happy.)

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

However, Mary Jane’s parents appealed to the government for her to be transferred to a safe local facility due to concerns over threats coming from the international drug syndicate that implicated her. 

They are also asking President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to grant Mary Jane clemency.

In 2010, Veloso was sentenced to execution after being caught with 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage at Yogyakarta airport in Indonesia.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News