Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino single mother from Nueva Ecija imprisoned in Indonesia since 2010 on drug smuggling charges, received a presidential pardon from President Bongbong Marcos on Thursday, September 24. Veloso was originally arrested after being tricked into transporting drugs to Indonesia and was spared from execution in April 2015 following a massive global advocacy campaign spearheaded by groups like MovePH and Change.org.
The 2015 Execution Reprieve and Global Advocacy
In April 2015, Veloso faced imminent execution at Wirogunan prison in Indonesia. With days remaining, Philippine civil society groups mobilized an international outcry. MovePH, the civic engagement arm of Rappler, amplified a Change.org petition initiated by the Promotion of Church People’s Response and the network of Church Task Force to Save the Life of Mary Jane Veloso. MovePH embedded click buttons across related news articles, driving the petition into the global top 10 most-signed petitions that weekend and successfully convincing Indonesian counterparts to defer the execution.
A Decade Behind Bars and Repatriation to the Philippines
Following the 2015 stay of execution, Veloso remained incarcerated in Indonesia for another decade. Throughout those ten years, advocates, volunteer lawyers, and her family in Cabanatuan maintained public pressure to secure her release. In 2025, Veloso was repatriated from Indonesia to Manila, arriving initially at a correctional facility for women before President Marcos granted her official pardon, allowing her to finally walk free.
Case Timeline and Milestones
- 2010: Mary Jane Veloso is arrested in Indonesia after being tricked into smuggling drugs.
- April 2015: Execution is scheduled at Wirogunan prison but deferred following a viral global petition.
- 2015–2025: Veloso serves a decade more in Indonesian custody while legal teams and advocacy groups lobby for her freedom.
- 2025: Veloso is repatriated to Manila.
- September 24: President Bongbong Marcos grants Veloso a presidential pardon.