Mary Jane Veloso meeting her family and relatives at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, where she was taken to shortly upon arrival in the Philippines on Dec 18, 2024. - Bureau of Corrections
MANILA: The road to Mary Jane Veloso’s absolute freedom remains “quiet” and “uncertain” but hopes are still high that she would be granted clemency.
Veloso, a Filipina inmate on death row in Indonesia who spent almost 15 years in prison for drug trafficking, is finally back in her home country — the Philippines.
But what happens next now that she has been transferred from Indonesia to Manila?
Her legal counsel, Attorney Edre Olalia, talked about Veloso’s plight in a radio interview on Thursday (Dec 26).
“It has been quiet since the President said that he will consult the legal experts,” said Olalia over Radyo 630.
“His term in English is: ‘We are still far off.” But since then, many have weighed in,” he recalled.
According to Veloso’s counsel, international lawyers as well as religious and other progressive groups have chimed in their appeal for Veloso’s clemency.
But he maintained that the ball is still in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s hands.
“He has the ball. He has a clear shot. Why should he dribble or pass if he can shoot because he has the power?” Olalia wondered.
“And he has the clear shot because no one will question his authority,” he said.
“Maybe it’s timing. We understand that it is timing indeed. We will wait. But of course, we will not wait without action [so] we will continue our appeal."
Where will Veloso go?
Upon Veloso’s arrival to the country on Dec 18, she was immediately brought to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
But will she be transferred to another penal facility?
“It’s still unclear,” said Olalia.
“The only thing that is clear is if clemency was not granted, especially the absolute pardon, the usual process is that she will spend 65 days in the rehabilitation and diagnostics centre,” he said.
Olalia then explained the next hearing of the criminal cases for qualified human trafficking, illegal recruitment and estafa against Veloso’s recruiters has been set for Feb 19, 2025.
The cases were filed in the Regional Trial Court of Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija.
He said it would be timely if Veloso would be granted freedom before the next hearing — or at least before her 40th birthday on Jan 10.
“It is not yet certain where she will be housed, but that depends on the evaluation of the Bureau of Corrections,” he then noted.
In the same interview, Olalia thumbed down proposals for Veloso to undergo Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), calling it problematic.
He simply noted that by going through GCTA, the Filipina death row survivor would need to wait for more or less five to six years before getting freed.
“It is problematic for us because it does not respond to our request for an absolute pardon,” he simply said. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
