Mary Jane to share dorm with other PDLs
MARY Jane Veloso has been transferred to a regular dormitory at the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) in the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City. Veloso's transfer follows the end of a mandatory five-day quarantine, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said on Friday. Catapang said Veloso will remain at the RDC for the next 55 days, during which she will undergo orientation, diagnostics and classification, a standard process for new persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). He said this phase is aimed at familiarizing PDLs with the rules, rights and privileges within the women's corrections system. The orientation will include crucial information on rehabilitation programs, health services, time allowances, and grievance mechanisms available to PDLs, providing Veloso and others with the tools to navigate their time in custody. Marjorie Ann Sanidad, CIW acting superintendent, said Veloso will share a dormitory measuring 48x32 feet with 30 newly admitted PDLs. "This arrangement fosters a sense of community and mutual support as the women begin their journeys of reform and rehabilitation," Sanidad said. Catapang has directed CIW officials to translate Veloso's prison records from Indonesia, originally documented in Bahasa. The translated records will help BuCor determine if Veloso's time served abroad can be credited as part of her imprisonment in the Philippines. Veloso gained international attention in 2010 when she was arrested at Yogyakarta Airport in Indonesia after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin hidden in her luggage. Veloso, a single mother from Nueva Ecija, claimed that she was deceived by her recruiters into transporting illegal drugs, a narrative that highlighted the plight of migrant workers exploited by human traffickers. Convicted of drug trafficking, Veloso was initially sentenced to death by firing squad. Her execution was delayed in 2015 after a last-minute appeal from the Philippine government, citing the need for her testimony against her alleged recruiters, who were arrested in the Philippines. Last Dec. 18, Veloso returned to the Philippines following a repatriation agreement between Manila and Jakarta.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
MARY Jane Veloso has been transferred to a regular dormitory at the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) in the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City.
Veloso's transfer follows the end of a mandatory five-day quarantine, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said on Friday.
Catapang said Veloso will remain at the RDC for the next 55 days, during which she will undergo orientation, diagnostics and classification, a standard process for new persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
He said this phase is aimed at familiarizing PDLs with the rules, rights and privileges within the women's corrections system.
The orientation will include crucial information on rehabilitation programs, health services, time allowances, and grievance mechanisms available to PDLs, providing Veloso and others with the tools to navigate their time in custody.
Marjorie Ann Sanidad, CIW acting superintendent, said Veloso will share a dormitory measuring 48x32 feet with 30 newly admitted PDLs.
"This arrangement fosters a sense of community and mutual support as the women begin their journeys of reform and rehabilitation," Sanidad said.
Catapang has directed CIW officials to translate Veloso's prison records from Indonesia, originally documented in Bahasa.
The translated records will help BuCor determine if Veloso's time served abroad can be credited as part of her imprisonment in the Philippines.
Veloso gained international attention in 2010 when she was arrested at Yogyakarta Airport in Indonesia after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin hidden in her luggage.
Veloso, a single mother from Nueva Ecija, claimed that she was deceived by her recruiters into transporting illegal drugs, a narrative that highlighted the plight of migrant workers exploited by human traffickers.
Convicted of drug trafficking, Veloso was initially sentenced to death by firing squad. Her execution was delayed in 2015 after a last-minute appeal from the Philippine government, citing the need for her testimony against her alleged recruiters, who were arrested in the Philippines.
Last Dec. 18, Veloso returned to the Philippines following a repatriation agreement between Manila and Jakarta.
