Jakarta. Indonesia will return Filipina drug convict Mary Jane Veloso who has been on death row for over a decade, Filipino President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr announced Wednesday.

The Indonesian police had arrested Veloso in Yogyakarta back in 2010. Veloso faced a death sentence after trying to bring over 2.6 kilograms of heroin into the country. The now-39-year-old woman had her execution postponed in 2015, and has remained on Indonesia’s death row ever since. The Philippines has been nudging Indonesia into transferring Veloso so she could serve the remaining sentence in her home country. Marcos Jr revealed that Indonesia had finally agreed on Veloso’s return, although the Filipino politician did not say when she would be flying back home.

“After over a decade of diplomacy and consultations with the Indonesian government, we managed to delay her execution long enough to reach an agreement to finally bring her back to the Philippines,” Marcos Jr said.

Marcos Jr also thanked the newly installed President Prabowo Subianto, whom he had met on multiple occasions so far this year. Marcos Jr said: “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government for their goodwill.”

According to Marcos Jr, Veloso’s story is one that resonates with many. He added: “[She is] a mother trapped by the grip of poverty, who made one desperate choice that altered the course of her life. While she was held accountable under Indonesian law, she remains a victim of her circumstances.”

In May 2023, Marcos Jr told reporters that his government had continuously asked Indonesia to ease the consequences of Veloso’s criminal offense. Marcos Jr at the time was in Indonesia for the ASEAN Summit. The Filipino Department of Foreign Affairs formally requested Indonesia to pardon Veloso the previous year. 

Marcos Jr had hosted Prabowo for some talks at his Manila palace in September, although the latter was still the defense minister and president-elect at the time. Marcos Jr also came to attend Prabowo’s inauguration ceremony in person last month.

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