aMary Jane Veloso, who has been on Indonesia's death row for 14 years, arrived in Manila on Wednesday tightly hugged by her family. Their eyes were swollen with tears of joy, but their faces were beaming with big smiles.
It was a homecoming and family reunion that brought early Christmas cheer to a country that has supported her and her fight for justice. She was convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 and was sentenced to death by firing squad in April 2015. She has always maintained her innocence, claiming she was tricked into taking a suitcase of drugs with her when she went abroad for a new job.
“I'm so happy! I'm finally back in our country,” she told reporters from behind the gates of the women's correctional facility, where she will serve a life sentence and be visited by her family every day. Ta. “I humbly ask the President to pardon me.”
On Wednesday, a group supporting her call gathered outside the correctional facility. They carried Christmas lanterns and presents that read “Pardon.”
Messages of support also poured in on social media. Veloso owes his life to a massive social media campaign and the diplomatic efforts of two governments in response to public outcry in 2015 to save his life.
The Philippines sends millions of workers overseas every year. Veloso's conviction embodies Filipino families' deepest fears about what will happen to their loved ones abroad.
“I don't carry bags that don't belong to me. You might not know what's inside. It's too risky. I have a family,” said Reno, a Filipino who worked in Saudi Arabia.・Repat says. “Poor Mary Jane. She had to carry the package. It was sent by a friend.”
Migrante International President Joanna Concepcion said Veloso's courage and determination are a source of inspiration and hope for other Filipinos and their families who are also fighting injustice abroad. “She is now a living hero to countless other immigrants in the larger fight to end human trafficking,” she says.
Riza Maza, a former lawmaker and lead author of the Anti-Trafficking Act of 2003, said the story highlights the need for policy reforms to protect Filipinos. “She is a victim of a poor country that has turned labor export into an industry. That's why she went abroad – to find a means of livelihood,” Maza said.
“Someday a miracle will happen”
Recent years have been difficult for the Veloso family. His mother, Celia, recalled a difficult phone call with Veloso, unable to update him on developments in the case. Celia said Veloso always had faith. “Don't worry, Nanai. Even if no one can help you, someone will. God is there. “Someday a miracle will happen,” Celia recalled Veloso telling her.
By Celia's calculations, Wednesday's return will be the fourth in a series of miracles in their long quest for justice.
The first miracle was saving her life at the last minute in 2015. In the years that followed, Celia told the story of how Veloso had survived surgery to have an ovarian cyst removed, and how the fear of recurrence turned out to be a false alarm.
Now she is praying for a fifth miracle: mercy.
Her son Darren was only one year old when his mother left the Philippines in 2010. I want to visit different places with her,” he told the Guardian.
Her other son, Daniel, said: “We are very excited and want to spend time with her.”
Celia said if she had her way, none of her children would go abroad to work again. “As long as we're together, no matter how hard things get, we'll be fine. As long as they don't separate again.”
