Jakarta. Mary Jane Veloso, a 39-year-old Filipina on death row for drug trafficking, has been repatriated to the Philippines after 15 years in Indonesia.

Veloso departed from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Tuesday night, expressing gratitude to both Indonesian and Filipino authorities. Speaking in Javanese, she said, “Matur nuwun (thank you),” before boarding her flight.

Veloso arrived at Terminal 2F of the airport around 9 p.m., accompanied by officials from both countries. A document handover ceremony was held before her departure. Though her expression showed mixed emotions, Veloso said she was relieved to finally return home.

“I’ve spent 15 years here. I’m taking many memories, including a guitar, butterfly crafts, and clothes. I love Indonesia,” Veloso said, adding that she had learned to speak Indonesian and Javanese fluently during her incarceration.

Upon her arrival in Manila, around 100 family members and supporters, including her two sons—who were just one and six years old when she was arrested in 2010—greeted her with tears and a banner reading, “Welcome Home Mary Jane.” However, security measures prevented her parents from immediately embracing her. Officials later allowed her family and legal team to spend an hour with her at a women’s correctional facility in Metro Manila.

“We hope the president will grant Mary Jane clemency,” said Celia Veloso, her mother.

Veloso’s troubles began in April 2010 when she was arrested at Adisutjipto Airport in Yogyakarta with 2.6 kilograms of heroin hidden in her suitcase. A single mother supporting two children, Veloso had accepted a job offer in Malaysia arranged by a neighbor. Upon her arrival, the promised job did not materialize, and she was sent to Indonesia by her recruiter, unknowingly carrying drugs.

In October 2010, an Indonesian court sentenced Veloso to death under the country's Narcotics Law. Her appeals for clemency, including a judicial review and a plea to the Indonesian president, were rejected.

In 2015, Veloso was transferred to Nusakambangan prison, along with other death row inmates, for execution. However, her execution was halted at the last minute following a request from then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, who argued that Veloso was a victim of human trafficking. Filipino authorities later arrested her recruiter, strengthening the claim of her innocence.

The Philippine government persistently lobbied for Veloso’s release, culminating in an agreement between President Prabowo Subianto and the Philippine government to repatriate her. On Monday, Veloso was moved from Wirogunan Prison in Yogyakarta to Pondok Bambu Women’s Prison in Jakarta before being flown to Manila.

According to I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, Deputy Coordinator for Immigration and Corrections at Indonesia’s  Law and Human Rights Ministry, Veloso remains a prisoner in the Philippines.

“Her legal status remains unchanged. She will serve her sentence in the Philippines, where clemency, remission, or amnesty is at the discretion of Filipino authorities,” he concluded.

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