00:00Mary Jane Veloso is still in jail after 14 years in the death row in Indonesia.
00:08Because there is no death penalty in the Philippines against Veloso for life imprisonment.
00:14This is what her lawyers are appealing.
00:17By reports of Ivan Mayrina.
00:22Mary Jane Veloso will go home to the Philippines.
00:25The OFW has been in the death row in Indonesia for more than a decade.
00:28This was announced by President Marcos.
00:30At the same time, he thanked the new President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto.
00:34If you mean there is a written agreement, there is still no answer.
00:38But they are the first to come to us to talk about this.
00:43So we are extremely confident it will happen.
00:46And certainly our President must be privy of information which will explain his confidence.
00:54Three administrations reached out to bring Veloso home.
00:57He was found guilty in the drug trafficking case in 2010.
01:01In April 2015, Veloso was counted as one of the 10 convicts who were kidnapped by Indonesia.
01:05But this did not continue.
01:07After being called by President Noy Noy Aquino of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.
01:11Following the surrender of Veloso's recruiter, Kristina Serio.
01:15When the Duterte administration entered the position of the Philippines.
01:19He said, follow your own laws. I will not interfere.
01:23Indonesia allowed Veloso to testify against Serio and his other recruiter, Julius Lacanilau.
01:30In the presence of President Bongbong Marcos,
01:32Veloso's family filed a petition to the Philippines,
01:35the executive clemency, and the entry of the new Indonesian President.
01:39Indonesia is formulating a policy of transfer of foreign persons to their host countries.
01:51Indonesia itself has a law which will take effect in 2026 about what in effect would be,
02:03if not necessarily the abolition of the death penalty,
02:08but some sort of informal non-implementation of the death penalty.
02:15According to the DFA, Indonesia has no alternative in the Philippines.
02:18In his return to the country, in the prison that Veloso will be sent to.
02:21He will just continue his sentence.
02:24The most important aspect of this all is the difference in our laws.
02:29There, they allowed the death penalty. Here, we don't have a death sentence.
02:32Why is that, Indonesia?
02:34According to the Law and Human Rights Ministry of Indonesia,
02:37life imprisonment will be Veloso's sentence.
02:40The government of the Philippines will also determine where Veloso can be brought.
02:44But what the lawyers of Mary Jane want,
02:46Our goal is to abolish the death penalty.
02:49According to Indonesia, it is in the power of President Marcos if Veloso will be given a pardon.
02:53Veloso's family is very thankful that he will be able to return home.
02:57For a long time, God has listened to our prayers.
03:02I hope that Mary Jane will be able to return home.
03:05Thank you very much.
03:06Ivan Mayrena reporting for GMA Integrated News.
03:16This is GMA Integrated News on YouTube.
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