Mary Jane Veloso gesturing during a press conference at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang on Dec 17, 2024, before her repatriation to the Philippines. - AFP
MANILA: Mary Jane Veloso was transferred to a regular dormitory of the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City after finishing her five-day quarantine, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said on Friday (Dec 27).
Veloso, a former overseas Filipino worker who was sentenced to death and spent nearly 15 years in jail over drug trafficking in Indonesia, returned to the Philippines last Dec 18 following successful diplomatic efforts conducted through the past years.
The Indonesian government approved the transfer of her custody to the Philippines as her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Veloso was sent to CIW after she arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last week. At the CIW, authorities had her undergo quarantine for five days.
Now at the CIW Reception and Diagnostic Center’s regular dormitory, BuCor said Veloso would undergo mandatory orientation, diagnostics, and classification. She will stay in that dorm for 55 days.
The regular dormitory, which measures 48×32 feet long, houses 30 newly received persons deprived of liberty, according to CIW Acting Superintendent Marjorie Ann Sanidad.
BuCor said its chief Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr has ordered the CIW to translate Veloso’s prison records, which are all written in Bahasa Indonesia.
“This translation is crucial for the Bucor as it will enable them to assess whether Veloso’s incarceration in Indonesia can be officially recognised as valid prison time under their jurisdiction,” BuCor explained in a statement.
Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after 2.6 kilos of heroin were found concealed in her luggage. Veloso told authorities there she did not know that the suitcase carried the illegal drug, insisting that her recruiters merely gave the bag to her.
