After 14 years on death row in Indonesia, Mary Jane Veloso arrived in Manila on Wednesday to the tight embrace of her family. Their eyes were swollen from tears of joy, yet their faces were lit up with big smiles.
It was a homecoming and family reunion that has brought early Christmas cheer to a country that has stood by her and her fight for justice. Convicted of drug trafficking in 2010, she narrowly escaped death by firing squad in April 2015. She has always maintained her innocence, saying she was duped into carrying a suitcase containing drugs as she travelled to a new job abroad.
“I’m so happy! I’m finally back in our country,” she told reporters from behind the gate of the Correctional Institution for Women where she will serve her life sentence, and be able to receive family visits every day. “I am humbly asking the president to grant me clemency.”
On Wednesday, groups gathered outside the correctional facility to support her call. They carried Christmas lanterns and presents labelled “clemency”.
Social media was also flooded with messages of support. Veloso owes her life to a massive social media campaign to save her life in 2015 and the diplomatic efforts of two governments that responded to the public outcry.
The Philippines sends millions of workers overseas every year. Veloso’s conviction embodies the deepest fears of Filipino families about what could happen to their loved ones abroad.
“I won’t carry a bag that isn’t mine. I might not know what’s inside. It’s too risky. I have a family,” says Lino Repato, a Filipino who used to work in Saudi Arabia. “Mary Jane is pitiful; she was made to carry the luggage. It was just sent by a friend.”
Veloso’s bravery and determination is an inspiration and a source of hope for other Filipinos and their families also fighting injustice abroad, says Joanna Concepcion, chairperson of Migrante International. “She is now a living hero to countless other migrants in the greater fight to end human trafficking,” she says.
The saga underscores the need for policy reforms to protect Filipinos, said Liza Maza, a former lawmaker and principal author of the 2003 Anti-Trafficking in Person Act. “She is a victim from a poor country that has turned labour exportation into an industry. That’s why she went abroad – to look for a means of livelihood,” Maza said.
‘One day, a miracle will happen’
The recent years have been difficult for the Veloso family. Her mother, Celia, recalled difficult phone calls with Veloso when she couldn’t report any progress on her case. Celia said Veloso had always held on to her faith. “Don’t worry, Nanay. Even if no one helps me, someone will. God is there. One day, a miracle will happen,” Celia recalled Veloso telling her.
By Celia’s count, Wednesday’s homecoming is the fourth in a series of miracles in their long quest for justice.
The first miracle was the last-minute reprieve that saved her life in 2015. In the years that followed, Celia recounted how Veloso survived surgery to remove an ovarian cyst and then how the fear of its recurrence turned out to be a false alarm.
Now, she’s praying for a fifth miracle – clemency.
Her son Darren was just two years old when his mother left the Philippines, in 2010. “I wish we could just stay at home. I want to go around and visit places with her,” he told the Guardian.
Daniel, her other son, said: “We’re so excited and eager to spend time with her.”
If she can have it her way, Celia said none of her children would leave the country again to work. “As long as we’re together, even if we face hardship, it’s OK. As long as none of them leave again.”
