Mission Yearbook: Human trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso returns to the Philippines

Supporters of domestic worker Mary Jane Veloso, imprisoned unjustly in
Indonesia for 14 years, await her arrival at the Manila airport.

Mary Jane Veloso, a human trafficking victim who was imprisoned unjustly for 14 years in Indonesia for unwittingly carrying 2.6 kilos of heroin into that country in luggage provided to her by individuals who had recruited her to work in Malaysia, has been freed from Indonesian custody and has returned home to the Philippines.

PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker the Rev. Cathy Chang was at the Manila airport to help welcome Veloso home in a terminal crowded with reporters and well-wishers.

Now 39, Veloso, a domestic worker, was arrested in 2010 in Indonesia. She denied knowing about the drugs in the luggage she’d been given by those who’d recruited her to work in Malaysia — two Filipinos who were convicted in 2020 of large-scale illegal recruitment. In 2015, she’d been sentenced to be executed in Indonesia, but at the 11th hour was granted a stay thanks in part to pleas from then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino because of the recent arrest of one of her recruiters.

Chang said Veloso’s release was the result of a high-level diplomatic agreement between the Ministry of Justice in Indonesia and counterparts in the Philippines. Under diplomatic agreements signed by members of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the custody of a prisoner can be transferred. Chang credited both Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the new Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto.

Supporters gathered outside the Correctional Institute for Women to show
their unwavering support for Mary Jane Veloso. (Contributed photo)

“From what I could see during the live feed [of Veloso’s arrival in Manila], she obviously has aged. But the joy showed in her eyes,” Chang said. “Even at the press conference, I could see how she radiated joy, relief and gratitude.”

The question on the minds of Veloso’s many supporters is whether Marcos will grant her clemency. They’re circulating this petition, which states, “Mary Jane is among many women migrant workers, from impoverished backgrounds, who have been preyed upon by illegal recruiters and human traffickers.” Her safe return “will shine as a beacon of hope for migrant workers around the world, especially for those who feel abandoned and neglected and who face unjust detention, the harsh realities of exploitation and injustice.” Everyone is invited to join international supporters through this online signature campaign.

Clemency for Veloso “is long overdue,” Chang said. “I think she has already suffered so much.” Chang credited Migrante International and the Church Task Force to Save Mary Jane, in addition to Veloso’s lawyers and Indonesian migrant advocates, for their tireless advocacy.

Several hours before leaving for the Manila airport, Chang stopped by a neighborhood florist to purchase some flowers for Veloso’s family to give to her. “Not knowing which colors to choose, I chose pink because that seemed the best choice,” Chang said. “I told the florist that they would be preparing ‘history-making flowers’ because they would later be given to Mary Jane Veloso.”

“Later, while waiting at the airport,” Chang said, “I learned that pink is Mary Jane’s favorite color.”

Read additional Presbyterian News Service reporting about Veloso’s ordeal and how Presbyterians have supported her over the years here, here, here and here.

Since 2015, the Rev. Cathy Chang has served as a mission co-worker in the Philippines.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS story)

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Today in the Mission Yearbook - Human trafficking victim supported by PC(USA) prayers and gifts receives first family visit in four years

There’s reason for optimism that Mary Jane Veloso will eventually gain her freedom

October 13, 2023

In recent days, Mary Jane Veloso, second from right, got to see family 

and supporters who were allowed to visit her at the Indonesian prison

 where she’s being held. (Contributed photo)

A recent visit by family and supporters to an Indonesian prison sparked renewed optimism that Mary Jane Veloso, a domestic worker and trafficking victim who at one time faced a death sentence may eventually secure her release.

In 2010, Veloso unwittingly carried 2.6 kilos of heroin into Indonesia in luggage provided to her by individuals who had recruited her to work in Malaysia. She was caught by airport security and denied knowing about the drugs but was subsequently sentenced to die in front of a firing squad for the alleged crime. On April 29, 2015, she was granted a literal “11th hour” stay of execution thanks in part by pleas from then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino, ostensibly so that she could testify in the trial of one of her alleged traffickers who had surrendered to authorities the day before.

Earlier this year, Veloso reunited with her family for the first time in four years. Her parents and two sons were able to visit her for two days in the Indonesian facility where she is being held. Also accompanying the family were representatives from Migrante International, a Filipino human rights advocacy group, her lawyers, Bishop Nonie Francisco from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the Philippine embassy in Jakarta and the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs. Much of their efforts centered on meeting with Indonesian government officials and human rights organizations to appeal for their support toward a presidential clemency that would free Veloso.

Celia Veloso, Mary Jane’s mother, offered this statement via a newspaper article: “Our family is very happy. After a long time, we were able to hug Mary Jane. She saw her two sons who are already young men. When they saw their mother, they did not want to let go of her, always kissing and hugging her.”

Joanne Concepcion, chairperson for Migrante International, notes that pressure and advocacy from human rights organizations around the world were instrumental in granting Mary Jane a reprieve from her death sentence. Letters from Filipino and international supporters, including former Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, expressed support and advocated for her release during this time. In April of this year, just days before Indonesia’s Women Emancipation Day, more than 175 organizations wrote separate letters of support urging freedom for Mary Jane.

“The global campaign calling for clemency mobilized thousands of people and the contributions of Indonesian human rights advocates were instrumental in granting Mary Jane a temporary reprieve. The last-minute actions taken on the part of the Philippine president can be attributed to pressure from the global campaign,” said Concepcion.

Mary Jane Veloso’s supporters and family have kept up efforts to 

get her freed from the Indonesian prison where she’s spent the past 

13 years. (Contributed photo)

In 2020, the two Filipinos who recruited Veloso were convicted of large-scale illegal recruitment. The guilty verdict handed down against them would seemingly prove Veloso’s innocence and at the time there was hope their conviction would result in justice for Veloso. However, three years have passed, and she remains in a Yogyakarta, Indonesia women’s prison.

The most expeditious path for Veloso’s freedom would come from a clemency decree by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. However, last year when asked by Philippine President Bongbong Marcos Jr. to “re-examine” Veloso’s case, Widodo responded they already gave her a “postponement” of her sentence.

What is the outlook for Veloso’s immediate future? Migrante International has continued to lobby the Philippine president in asking the Indonesian government for a pardon. Concepcion says Veloso’s future lies in her eventual ability to testify against her recruiters.

“In our dialogues with Indonesian human rights institutions and the Ministry for Women Empowerment, we learned that the Indonesian government is awaiting the results of the legal case against Mary Jane’s recruiters who are charged with human trafficking,” Concepcion said. “If they are held accountable, this would provide an even stronger legal basis for Mary Jane’s innocence and victimization. However, as a key witness to this case, Mary Jane has still yet to provide her testimony and the Philippine government must accelerate the process, including its cooperation with the Indonesian government, to make this possible.”

Scott O’Neill, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Today’s Focus: Mary Jane Veloso, human trafficking victim in Indonesia

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Triune God, may your Spirit grow in us, so that in our transformation our communities may know your transformation. Speak to our hearts that we may know your pain over our brokenness, heed your call, and bear the fullness of your joy, which no one can take away. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.