After years of negotiations between the two Southeast Asian nations, Mary Jane Veloso, who received a last-minute reprieve from execution by the firing squad for drug trafficking in Indonesia in 2015, arrived in Manila on Wednesday ( Dec. 18 ).
Veloso, a 39-year-old past domestic helper and mother of two, told reporters in Jakarta she was ready to start a new life in the Philippines.
After being discovered with 2. 6 kg of cocaine hidden in a suitcase in Yogyakarta in 2010, Veloso was detained. She claimed to be a pharmaceutical horse, but she was found guilty and given the death penalty.
Her release came days after Indonesia’s five remaining members of the” Bali Nine” drug ring were repatriated to Australia.
When Veloso arrived at Manila’s airports, she was immediately taken to a women’s prison where she was greeted by large security. When Veloso arrived, her home and lots of supporters who were waited outside the switch did not greet her.
Even though my daughter is stupid, she was made a fugitive. They forbade us from seeing her. Her parents, Cesar Veloso, broke down in tears while speaking to reporters at the airport, pleading with them to” we wanted to cuddle her.”
Her family Celia Veloso was more cheerful, saying:” What’s essential is she’s ok now”.
Edre Olalia, Veloso’s prosecutor in the Philippines, said officials had given her family personal moment with her at the jail facility.
In a package that includes the Philippines respecting Veloso’s imprisonment and her position as a prisoner, the two governments came to an agreement this month to return her to Manila.