PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is considering granting an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, the Palace said on Wednesday.
Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro confirmed that the government was considering the pardon after Bataan Rep. Albert S. Garcia said earlier on Wednesday that the Office of the President was “seriously considering” the grant on humanitarian grounds.
Asked when a decision could be made, Ms. Castro said, “I will give it to you once it’s ready, but that is confirmed,” that officials were still considering the grant.
Ms. Castro also said Ms. Veloso’s request for clemency had reached Mr. Marcos directly.
Ms. Veloso was transferred to Philippine custody in December 2024 under an agreement with Indonesia that allowed her to serve the remainder of her sentence in the Philippines, while leaving open the possibility of clemency.
She was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin in a suitcase she was carrying and was sentenced to death for drug trafficking. Her execution was halted in 2015 after an appeal by the Philippine government. Ms. Veloso is being held at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking