MANILA, Philippines — After more than 16 years of imprisonment and nearly two years since her return to the Philippines, human trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso has made a poignant appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for clemency to secure her final freedom.
In an open letter dated January 28, 2026, and shared with reporters on Monday, the 41-year-old Veloso expressed her deep longing to reunite with her family and care for her aging parents and children after being “separated from her loved ones” for over a decade and a half.
The Legal Limbo Veloso’s case remains complex due to her current status at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City:
- No Philippine Conviction: Veloso’s lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) argue that she has never been charged or convicted of any crime under Philippine law.
- Habeas Corpus Petition: The NUPL has asked the Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus, questioning the domestic legal authority to continue enforcing a foreign (Indonesian) penal judgment in the absence of a formal treaty.
- Palermo Protocol: Legal advocates maintain that her continued detention violates the Palermo Protocol and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, as the Philippine government officially recognizes her as a victim of human trafficking.
Chronology of the Case
- April 2010: Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, after 2.6 kilograms of heroin were found in her luggage, which she maintains was planted by her recruiters.
- 2015: She was granted a last-minute stay of execution following an appeal from the Philippine government.
- 2020: A Nueva Ecija court found her recruiters, Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, guilty of illegal recruitment.
- 2024: Veloso was repatriated to the Philippines following years of diplomatic negotiations between the Marcos administration and the Indonesian government.
Calls for Support The workers’ group Migrante International and Gabriela Rep. Sarah Jane Elago have joined the call for her release. Elago recently filed a House resolution urging the President to grant clemency, describing her continued incarceration as a “grave injustice.”
“I hope to be given the opportunity to take care of my parents while they are still alive and especially my children whom I did not have the chance to watch grow up,” Veloso wrote in Filipino. As her legal team challenges the jurisdiction of her detention, her fate now rests on the executive decision of President Marcos.