MANILA: It remains to be seen if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will pardon convicted drug trafficker Mary Jane Veloso once she returns to the Philippines, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
In a message to reporters, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the President’s topmost concern is to bring back the 39-year-old Filipina to Manila as soon as possible.
“Nothing to say yet on what may happen. The priority of PBBM is to have Veloso repatriated without delay,” Bersamin said in response to the possibility of Marcos granting a pardon to Veloso.
The Palace official made the remarks a day after confirming Veloso’s imminent return to the Philippines.
On Monday night, Bersamin expressed Malacanang’s appreciation and gratitude to Indonesia for allowing the transfer of Veloso to Philippine jurisdiction, albeit still under detention.
Bersamin credited the development as the “fruit of more than a decade of persistent discussions, consultations and diplomacy” between Manila and Jakarta.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said Veloso will arrive in Manila on Wednesday at 6 am.
“Duty-bound as we are to honor the conditions for her transfer to Philippine jurisdiction, we are truly elated to welcome Mary Jane back to her homeland and family, from whom she has been distanced for too long,” Bersamin added.
t month, Marcos himself announced Indonesia’s decision to move Veloso here after 14 years of incarceration in Indonesia.
