Mary Jane family's birthday wish: Clemency

ON her 40th birthday, the family of Mary Jane Veloso has asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to grant her clemency. Veloso's family visited Malacañang on Friday to submit a petition with 8,283 signatures urging the president to give her clemency, Migrante International said. In a statement, Migrante Chairman Joanna Concepcion urged Marcos to use his "unbound power" to grant clemency to Veloso, who returned to the Philippines last month after being imprisoned for 14 years in Indonesia on drug trafficking charges. Veloso had been sentenced to death, but the Jakarta government allowed her instead to return to the Philippines. "The clock is now ticking on Marcos to grant Mary Jane clemency," Concepcion said, citing that she was a mere victim of a drug syndicate. "Marcos should use his unbound power to grant her clemency if he truly cares to make a stand against human trafficking, which has become so pervasive in our country," she said. Concepcion said granting clemency to Veloso was also in accordance with the call of the public, who signed a petition making such a call to Marcos. Earlier, Marcos said the possibility of granting Veloso clemency was still "far off." He added that he will trust the judgment of the government's legal experts regarding a possible clemency. Indonesia has said that it would respect any decision made by the Philippines, including if Veloso will be given clemency. She is detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.