Marcos on Mary Jane Veloso: We continue to ask for pardon

LABUAN BAJO—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he would continue to ask Indonesia for a commutation or even pardon for convicted drug mule Mary Jane Veloso who remains in prison in the country.

Asked if he would raise Veloso's case if he would meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Marcos said, "We haven’t really stopped."

"The impasse is we continue to ask for a commutation or even a pardon or extradition back to the Philippines. That is constantly there,” Marcos said.

“But the Indonesians answer us that this is the law," he added.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo in September 2022 asked for Indonesia to grant Veloso executive clemency.

Manalo asked for clemency when he met Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on September 4 on the sidelines of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s state visit to Indonesia.

Veloso's parents Cesar and Celia had asked Marcos to ask for clemency from Widodo for their daughter who was convicted of drug trafficking and meted the death penalty in 2010.

She was convicted of drug trafficking after she was caught with 2.6 kilos of heroin in Yogyakarta in 2010.

“They’ve already given us postponement… but that doesn’t mean it’s done. I will always, I’ll always at least bring it up. Baka sakali… baka sakali magbago,” Marcos said. —NB, GMA Integrated News