Human trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso has returned to the Philippines after nearly 15 years of detention in Indonesia. She was welcomed by her children, parents, lawyer, and supporters from Migrante Philippines and the Save Mary Jane Task Force at the airport in the early morning hours of December 18. She was allowed to hug her children and siblings upon entering the women’s correctional facility in Mandaluyong City. They are calling on the Marcos regime to grant Veloso clemency or pardon and allow her to return to her family.
Like millions of Filipino migrants, Veloso’s story began when she decided to leave the country in 2010 to give her two children a better future. Recruiter Maria Kristina Sergio promised her a job as a domestic helper in Malaysia where she was told her job had been taken and was promised a new one.
While waiting, Sergio told her to go to Indonesia and gave her a suitcase for the trip. Unbeknownst to her, the suitcase concealed 2.6 kilos of heroin (a banned drug), which was discovered by police upon her arrival in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She was immediately arrested and swiftly sentenced to death by firing squad on April 19, 2015.
Through relentless campaigning by Migrante and progressive organizations and lawyers supporting her family, Veloso’s execution was stopped in 2015.
Veloso represents the plight and stuggle of many Filipino migrants who, while overseas, face exploitation and abuse, unsafe working conditions, strict foreign legal systems, and lack of support from the Philippine government. At least 49 other Filipino migrants face the death penalty in other countries, many for drug-related cases.
As of 2024, the Department of Migrant Workers has recorded 2,457 migrant Filipinos detained worldwide. Out of these, Philippine lawyers have won only 46 cases and lost 204.
