MANILA: After more than 16 years in prison and nearly being killed by a firing squad in Indonesia on drug trafficking charges, Mary Jane Veloso was freed on Friday following an absolute pardon from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Veloso, a former domestic worker from Nueva Ecija province, was arrested in 2010 at an airport in Yogyakarta for allegedly smuggling 2.6 kg of heroin from Malaysia into Indonesia. Throughout the case, she maintained her innocence and said that she was tricked by a recruiter to bring a suitcase with drugs hidden in its seams.

She had been due to be executed in 2015, after an Indonesian court convicted her of drug smuggling and sentenced her to death. But she was spared at the 11th hour, which turned Veloso into an icon among many migrant workers in Asia, who saw her case as an extreme example of injustice experienced by their community.

The 41-year-old served almost 15 years in Indonesia and nearly two more in the Philippines, which repatriated her in December 2024 under a transfer of prisoner deal between Manila and Jakarta. She has sought clemency from the Philippine government ever since.

“I signed her pardon yesterday,” Marcos told reporters in a surprise announcement early on Friday.

Veloso was released from prison by the evening, welcomed by her family, lawyers and migrant workers activists.

“I’m extremely grateful to President Bongbong Marcos Jr. I know this wouldn’t have happened without him, and I believe God used him to clear my name. That’s all I ever wanted- to clear my name and return to my family,” she said during a press conference, adding that she is eager to reunite with her family. 

“My mother and father are already old, and I really want to take care of them, as well as my children.” 

Edre Olalia, a lawyer in Veloso’s legal team, told Arab News prior to her release that Veloso’s two sons and sister were “jumping literally with joy, very ecstatic and extremely grateful” when he broke the news to them.

“The mother was crying with tears and really, very, very pleased about the news,” said Olalia, who leads the National Union of People’s Lawyers, a voluntary association of human rights lawyers in the Philippines.

In an interview with Philippine broadcast network News5, Veloso’s 66-year-old mother Celia said the family is quickly preparing for her return to Nueva Ecija, which is at least a four-hour drive from Manila.

“Our dream has finally come true … I really thought we’d never get to be with our daughter again before we die, but we waited, and now she’s finally coming home,” she said.

Indonesia, which has one of the world’s toughest anti-narcotics laws, had previously said it would respect any decision made by the Philippines, including if Veloso were given clemency.

Indonesian authorities arrested her when she was 25 years old and her two sons were only 1 and 6 years old.

Her case drew widespread attention beyond Indonesia and the Philippines for years, as activists and supporters took to the streets of Jakarta and Manila to campaign for Veloso’s freedom and mobilized citizens from 127 countries to sign a #SaveMaryJane global petition.

Veloso’s ordeal highlighted the need for stronger migrant worker protections, especially in the Philippines, as more than 2 million Filipinos work abroad. Independent figures by rights monitors put the figure close to 10 million.

Many Filipinos were elated at the news of her freedom.

“The release of Mary Jane Veloso is long overdue,” one user wrote on Facebook.

Migrante International, an alliance of organizations of migrant Filipinos and their families, describes Veloso’s pardon as a “victory” that gives them “the inspiration, courage and fuel” to continue their work to advance the rights of migrant workers.

“We celebrate this as a historic victory for the global people’s movement that has long fought for freedom and justice for Mary Jane as a victim of human trafficking,” the group said in a statement.

“At the heart of this global campaign is the sheer determination of Mary Jane’s parents and family who did not waver in their commitment to pursue justice despite all the odds they faced.”

Veloso’s story is “one of extraordinary courage and resilience,” the NUPL said in a statement.

“A migrant worker and trafficking victim who came perilously close to execution, she never lost hope.”