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16 years in jail: Drug convict Mary Jane Veloso gets Philippine President pardon
Mary Jane Veloso's camp has consistently maintained that the OFW was a victim, unknowingly carrying illegal drugs in a luggage her recruiters told her to bring to Indonesia
- PUBLISHED: Fri 25 Sept 2026, 9:20 AM
The Philippines’ most known migrant worker behind bars will soon be freed after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted absolute pardon to the “drug mule” arrested and convicted in Indonesia.
After 16 years, Mary Jane Veloso will walk free from jail after a prolonged campaign to exonerate her from charges of bringing 2.6 kilos of heroin to Indonesia. Marcos told reporters on Friday he granted absolute pardon to the former overseas Filipino worker (OFW). “I signed it already...I signed her pardon yesterday,” Marcos said. Malacanang Palace said Marcos was persuaded by a personal letter from Veloso herself.
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Arrested on April 25, 2010 at the Adisutjipto International Airport in Yogjakarta, Veloso was convicted and sentenced to be executed by the Indonesian courts. Veloso's camp has consistently maintained she was a victim, unknowingly carrying illegal drugs in a luggage her recruiters told her to bring to Indonesia. The recruiters were subsequently convicted of human trafficking by Philippine courts.
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Furious national and international campaigns for clemency, as well as diplomatic efforts by Manila convinced Indonesia to commute her death sentence to life imprisonment. Veloso's case gained wider attention when a Philippine newspaper wrongly reported she had already been executed by Indonesia in April 2015. In December 2024, Indonesian authorities agreed to transfer custody over Veloso to the Philippines.
Upon learning of Marcos’ pardon, Veloso’s chief lawyer Edre Olalia exclaimed: “FINALLY! See you, Mary Jane!”
A mother of two, Veloso was forced to seek employment abroad, like millions of other Filipinos. Her two sons grew up to young adulthood with their mother in jail.