The Philippines welcomes Mary Jane Veloso, who returned home after almost 15 years on death row in Indonesia.
According to BBC, the 39-year-old woman from the Philippines returned to her home in Manila on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, after Indonesia and the Philippines reached a deal.
The mother of two was sentenced to death in 2010 for carrying 2.6 kg (5.7 lb) of heroin through an Indonesian airport. However, she always claimed that she was deceived into carrying the drugs.
Mary told a press conference, “This is a new life for me, and I will have a new beginning in the Philippines. I have to go home because I have a family there, I have my children waiting for me."
She also expressed that she wanted to spend Christmas with her family, and now she can.
Moreover, as per the agreement between the two governments, Mary returned to her home country as a prisoner, but President Ferdinand Marcos could pardon her and set her free.
Mary was sentenced to death in 2015, but then Philippine President Benigno Aquino III intervened and secured a last-minute reprieve after another suspected woman who gave her the bag was arrested.
Mary received widespread public sympathy in the Philippines, the country without the death penalty, as her situation was relatable to many because it's common for Filipino women to work abroad as maids to escape poverty.
