Palace: No decision yet on clemency for Mary Jane Veloso 

Malacañang said on Wednesday that it has yet to decide on whether to grant clemency to convicted overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso following her homecoming to the Philippines after 14 years in detention in Indonesia. 

“There has been no decision made yet whether or not she will be granted executive clemency,” said Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. 

Veloso is on death sentence for drug trafficking after she was caught with 2.6 kilos of heroin in Indonesia in 2010.

In 2015, then Indonesian President Joko Widodo said their government gave Veloso only a ”temporary reprieve” from her scheduled execution in relation to alleged human trafficking. 

According to John Consulta’s report on "24 Oras," the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that executive clemency would fast-track Veloso’s freedom. 

“Kung sa tingin ng ating pangulo ay pwede nang gawaran ng executive clemency in the exercise of his ultimate and absolute authority along with other equally entitled PDLs, why not?” said DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez. 

(If the president thinks she deserves to be granted executive clemency in the exercise of his ultimate and absolute authority along with other equally entitled PDLs, why not?) 

“Kung magbibgay ng executive clemency ang pangulo, definitely titingnan din ang iba, hindi siya masi-single out,” he added. 

(If the president would grant executive clemency, definitely he would also look at other cases and will not single out Veloso.) 

The 39-year-old former domestic helper maintained that she was innocent and hoped that the Philippine government would grant her clemency.

“Gusto ko na makalaya ako… Clemency... mapawalang sala. Kasi wala akong kasalanan,” she added. 

(I want to be freed... Clemency... be found without guilt. I am innocent.)

But other than clemency, the DOJ said that Veloso could also be freed through parole - a conditional release given to a person deprived of liberty who had a good record while serving the minimum period of sentence, and by computing one’s good conduct time allowance (GCTA). 

“Yun ang kagandahan ng GCTA, hindi dadaan sa executive department ‘yun. Kasi pag na-compute, internally lang ‘yun,” said Vasquez. 

(That’s the good thing about GCTA, it does not have to go through the executive department. Because if you compute, it will be an internal matter.) 

“Titingnan natin kung ano ba yung sistema niya doon? Pangalawa, ano ang naging conduct niya doon? Pangatlo, ano ang pwedeng tingnan na paborable?” he added. “Kasi ang prinsipyo ng ating batas, ay all procedural rules favorable to the accused are to be granted. Kasi yung primary concept natin is always towards human rights and right to liberty.” 

(We will look at her system there. Second, what was her conduct? And third, what are the favorable conditions for her? Because the principle of our law is that all procedural rules favorable to the accused are to be granted. Our primary concept is always towards human rights and the right to liberty.) 

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has already formed a technical working group to look into the possibility of considering Veloso’s 14-year detention abroad in the computation of GCTA. 

“In due time, we will be able to know if Mary Jane is qualified for GCTA and if there is a GCTA, has she served the minimum? That will entitle her for parole at our level, we recommend that,” said BuCor director general Gregorio Catapang. 

Veloso is currently at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City for a five-day quarantine. 

But even after the quarantine, the BuCor said Veloso would still have to stay at the correctional facility for 50 days based on its guidelines.—Vince Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News