Mary Jane Released, Philippine Government to Provide Full Support
Former death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso will receive full reintegration assistance from the Philippine government after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. granted her an absolute pardon. The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has ensured that it will accompany Mary Jane and her family through the process of returning to life in society.
DMW Minister Hans Leo Cacdac has instructed his team to coordinate directly with the Veloso family in Nueva Ecija following her release early Saturday morning.
“Our instructions are clear: the DMW must work hand-in-hand to support Mary Jane, her children, and her parents as they rebuild their lives,” Cacdac stated in a press release, as quoted by the official Philippine government website on Sunday (27/9/2026).
Cacdac noted that the DMW team travelling to Nueva Ecija will collaborate with Mary Jane’s family and local stakeholders to design a reintegration programme tailored to their specific needs. According to the DMW, this programme will serve as the basis for interventions at both the family and community levels. The government aims to ensure that Veloso’s return supports long-term productivity and self-sufficiency.
“The DMW welcomes the President’s decision, noting that this executive clemency marks a definitive and victorious end to a heavy struggle lasting decades to regain her freedom and liberty,” the statement read.
The DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are currently working to provide psychosocial counselling services, initial livelihood assistance packages, business capital, and skills training. This initiative will also connect her future business endeavours directly with local cooperatives and economic opportunities in Nueva Ecija, allowing her return to serve as a means of active community participation.
“Reintegration is not just about returning home—it is about restoring dignity, ensuring financial independence, and enabling Mary Jane to contribute to her community and the local economy,” said Cacdac.
Mary Jane and her family held a press conference at Siena College, Quezon City, on Saturday, where she expressed her gratitude to President Marcos for the pardon. She shared her plans to strengthen ties with her family, rest, and visit the church in her hometown.
“We want to focus on strengthening family togetherness first, and then eat together with all family members in Nueva Ecija,” she said.
In a message to her recruiters, Mary Jane expressed her hope that they would clear her name following her pardon. “Please just tell the truth, that I am truly innocent. Another wish of mine is to reunite with my family, and that has already been realised,” she said. “That is all I want—to hear directly from them that I am innocent,” she added.
For context, Mary Jane was arrested in 2010 in Yogyakarta and sentenced to death that same year after authorities found 2.6 kg of heroin in her suitcase. Mary Jane has consistently maintained her innocence, stating that she was a victim of human trafficking and that her recruiters deceived her into carrying the suitcase without her knowledge.
Mary Jane received a last-minute stay of execution in 2015 after the Philippine government requested that Indonesia refrain from executing her so that she could testify against the alleged human traffickers involved. Following diplomatic efforts between the Philippines and Indonesia regarding prisoner transfer arrangements, Mary Jane was returned to Manila in December 2024 and transferred to the Women’s Correctional Institution in Mandaluyong City to serve the remainder of her sentence under Philippine jurisdiction.