MARY JANE VELOSO RETURNING TO PHILIPPINES ON DECEMBER 18

MARY Jane Veloso, a Filipina domestic worker who was sentenced to death 14 years ago in Indonesia, is set to return home to the Philippines on Wednesday, December 18, the Indonesian authorities said.

In a press conference on Monday, the Ministry for Law and Human Rights of Indonesia announced that Veloso will board her flight to the Philippines at Jakarta’s main airport, the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport.

Veloso was transferred on Sunday to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, from a women’s prison in Yogyakarta province.

From there, she will be flown back to the Philippines early Wednesday morning.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said several officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are set to travel to Jakarta on the night of December 16 to finalize the prisoner transfer arrangement for Veloso.

De Vega earlier said the Philippines will shoulder all costs for Veloso’s repatriation.

“Hindi na natin pinapunta ‘yung family sa Indonesia. Ang the best diyan ay salubungin na lang nila sa Pilipinas,” De Vega said.

Veloso was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 for carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage.

Manwhile, Malacañang said Veloso’s homecoming  is the fruit of more than a decade of persistent discussions, consultations and diplomacy.  

“With much appreciation and gratefulness to the Republic of Indonesia, we confirm the imminent return of our kababayan, Mary Jane Veloso,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said.

“Duty-bound as we are to honor the conditions for her transfer to Philippine jurisdiction, we are truly elated to welcome Mary Jane back to her homeland and family, from whom she has been distanced for too long,” he added.