Former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. called on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to grant Mary Jane Veloso clemency if the national government’s efforts to bring her back from Indonesia bear fruit.
Abalos, who is running for senator under the administration-backed “Alyansa Para sa Pagbabago” slate, commended the work being done by different government agencies, particularly the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Justice (DOJ), in trying to repatriate Veloso.
“I applaud the Marcos administration for its efforts in securing the repatriation of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino citizen who had been on death row in Indonesia for over a decade. We continue to hope for the best that our kababayan will finally be back home after years of being imprisoned in a foreign land,” he said.
According to Abalos, the Chief Executive may exercise the power of executive clemency in the interest of justice, compassion, and humanitarian consideration.
“I firmly believe that Mary Jane has been a victim of human trafficking and was wrongfully exploited by criminal syndicates. Should our government secure her, I strongly urge President Marcos to consider granting her pardon,” he said.
Executive clemency refers to the power of a president to pardon, commute, or reprieve a person who has been convicted of a crime. The purpose of executive clemency is to correct a manifest injustice or prevent a miscarriage of justice.
“Marcos’ granting of executive clemency will offer Mary Jane the chance to start anew and rebuild her life after years of suffering. It would not only be a compassionate act but also a powerful statement that the Philippines values the dignity and well-being of every Filipino,” Abalos, a practicing lawyer, stressed.
Veloso was arrested at the Yogyakarta International Airport in Java, Indonesia, on April 25, 2010, after Indonesian authorities found in her luggage some 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
The Indonesian court convicted Veloso of drug trafficking, and she was sentenced to death. However, Veloso was given a last-minute reprieve following the surrender of her recruiters, who duped her into smuggling the drugs.
Recently, the Indonesian Ministry for Law, Human Rights and Immigration said the Indonesian government is considering transferring Veloso to serve her sentence in the Philippines.
