Malacañang on Wednesday confirmed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is seriously considering granting an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso on humanitarian grounds.
“Confirmed,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said when asked whether the Office of the President was seriously considering granting Veloso an absolute pardon.
During a press briefing, she said the possible pardon is being considered based on humanitarian grounds, adding that there is no definite timeline yet for the President’s decision.
She also confirmed that Veloso’s letter appealing for clemency had reached Marcos.
Earlier on Wednesday, Bataan 2nd District Representative Albert Garcia disclosed during the House plenary deliberations on the proposed 2027 budget of the Office of the President (OP) that the administration was seriously considering granting Veloso an absolute pardon.
Garcia said the move would be on humanitarian grounds and in support of the government’s commitment to protecting Filipino migrant workers.
He also said an announcement on the possible pardon could be made within the next few days.
Castro said the Philippine government had been informed that Indonesia’s approval may not be necessary for the President to grant the pardon, although the matter was still being clarified.
“Ang naipaabot sa atin ay hindi naman na po kailangan,” Castro said.
Veloso, a former overseas Filipino worker, was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia in 2010 and sentenced to death. Her execution was halted in 2015 after the Philippine government intervened and asked Indonesian authorities to allow her to testify in a human trafficking case involving her alleged recruiters.
She was repatriated to the Philippines in December 2024 following a bilateral agreement between Manila and Jakarta and is currently detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
