Marcos considers absolute pardon for former Indonesian death-row prisoner

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is considering granting an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, a former death-row inmate who was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia in 2010. The Office of the President is “seriously considering” the pardon on humanitarian grounds, lawmaker Albert Garcia said on Wednesday, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the South China Morning Post. Garcia also linked the possible clemency to the Philippine government’s stated commitment to protecting Filipino migrant workers.

The supplied material does not say when Marcos will decide, what conditions might apply or whether the president has approved any formal pardon. Veloso was repatriated from Indonesia, but the available report does not provide the date of her return or details of the arrangements surrounding it. It also does not set out the evidence in her original case, the sentence imposed or the circumstances that led to the conviction.

The report describes Veloso as a former death-row inmate and says she had been detained since her 2010 conviction. It does not include a response from Veloso, her family or Indonesian authorities to the possibility of an absolute pardon. Any presidential action would concern the Philippines’ treatment of Veloso after her return.

For now, Garcia’s statement establishes only that the proposal is under consideration, rather than confirming that clemency has been granted.