Marcos to still think about Mary Jane Veloso’s possible clemency —DOJ

Following Mary Jane Veloso’s long-awaited return to the Philippines, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wednesday that it will give President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. time to decide whether or not to grant her executive clemency or pardon.

DOJ Undersecretary Jesse Andres explained that pending Marcos’ decision, Veloso has to be detained in the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City to serve her sentence. 

“Matagal pa ‘yung paninilbihan niya dahil life imprisonment nga at nung 2010 pa lang siya naman nahusgahan ng death penalty and life imprisonment. Ngunit napipinto naman ang executive clemency kaya I’m not looking at the number of years that she will spend there,” Andres said in an Unang Balita interview. 

(She still has a long time to serve in jail because she was sentenced to life imprisonment and death penalty only in 2010. But executive clemency may happen so I'm not looking at the number of years that she will spend there.) 

“Bigyan ho natin ng tamang panahon. Respetuhin natin ang bansang Indonesia dahil ang gusto nila, magsilbi ng termino talaga, ng life imprisonment. Pero nandon din sa kasunduan na meron tayong karapatan na gampanin ang mga alituntunin sa executive clemency,” he added. 

(Let's give it the right time. Let's respect the country of Indonesia because what they want is for her to serve a life imprisonment. But it is also in our agreement that we have the right to implement the rules on executive clemency.) 

In November, Marcos announced that Manila and Jakarta reached an agreement to transfer Veloso to the Philippines, thanking new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his government for their goodwill.

Veloso, who was convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 and was a death row inmate in Indonesia, arrived in Manila early Wednesday morning. She was brought straight to the CIW, where she reunited with her family, including her two sons.

Veloso’s camp has been appealing to Marcos to grant her clemency in time for Christmas.

According to Andres, her fate is now up to the President. 

“Ang mahal na Pangulo ang dapat nating tanungin tungkol sa mga susunod na mga posibleng mangyari. Sa ngayon po, kailangan namin siyang pulungin dahil nga ayaw naming i-preempt anything that the Indonesian government can do,” he said. 

(Our President is the one that should be asked about the next possible steps. Right now, we need to meet him because we don't want to preempt anything that the Indonesian government can do.) 

“Ngayon na kakarating pa lang ni Mary Jane, bibigyan natin ng panahon ang ating Pangulo para i-exercise ‘yung tinatawag niyang karapatan to grant executive clemency or pardon,” he continued.

(Since Mary Jane has just arrived, we will give our President time to exercise his right to grant executive clemency or pardon.) 

The DOJ official also said that Veloso first has to receive medical attention and undergo other documentation processes. She will also be given time to be with her family at the women's correctional.

He also said that Veloso will not be given any special treatment while in detention. 

“‘Yung pag-uwi po sa Nueva Ecija, siguro ire-request nila ‘yan. And very unlikely that we will give a special treatment dahil alam ninyo na, rule of law tayo, hindi naman maaari na basta makauwi sa probinsya ang tao na nagsisilbi ng kanyang sentensya,” Andres said. 

(They may request for her to go home to Nueva Ecija. But it is very unlikely that we will give a special treatment because we implement the rule of law. Any person who is serving his/her sentence can’t just go back to the province.) 

He also said that the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) will ensure Veloso’s safety and security while at the CIW. 

Mary Jane’s parents, Cesar and Celia, earlier appealed to the Philippine 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. —AOL, GMA Integrated News