Mary Jane Veloso reunited with family after 14 years

Mary Jane Veloso, who was previously sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Indonesia, has returned to the Philippines after 14 years and was reunited with her family at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City.

Her parents, Cesar and Celia, and sons, Mark Daniel and Mark Darren, were present for the reunion upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport via a Cebu Pacific commercial flight.

Veloso appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for clemency, and the Department of Justice stated that she will be treated as an ordinary person deprived of liberty with clemency on the table.

Indonesia has stated that it would respect any decision made by the Philippines regarding clemency.

Veloso is due to serve her remaining sentence in the Philippines, with any decision on clemency dependent on President Marcos Jr.

Her family will be allowed to visit her at the CIW on Christmas Eve, and she will undergo a quarantine and evaluation period before being assigned a regular cell.

On December 20, Veloso's lawyers, specifically the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL), urged President Marcos Jr. to grant her pardon, emphasizing her status as a victim of circumstance.