Palace Press Officer Claire Castro has confirmed that the Office of the President (OP) is ‘seriously considering’ granting an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso based on humanitarian grounds.
However, Castro said the timeline and other details remain undisclosed.
‘Sa simula po ay binabanggit na wala namang naging kasalanan di umano si Mary Jane Veloso. So doon tayo magiistart, pero kung ano pa ang magiging detalye, hindi po ako ang may karapatan sa ngayon na magsabi nito dahil nasa Pangulo po ‘yan,’ she said during a briefing when asked about the factors being considered in granting Veloso a pardon.
(At the outset, it was mentioned that Mary Jane Veloso was supposedly not at fault. So, that’s where we will start. However, as to what the details will be, I am not in a position to say anything about that at this point because that is up to the President.)
Castro also said there is no need to inform Indonesia, where Veloso was imprisoned for nearly 15 years over a drug trafficking case, about the administration’s decision.
The confirmation came after Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia said on Wednesday that the OP was considering granting an absolute pardon to Veloso.
‘The Office of the President is seriously considering to grant absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso on humanitarian grounds in support of the government’s commitment to protecting Filipino migrant workers,’ Garcia had said during the House sponsorship and plenary deliberations for the proposed budget of the OP for next year.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced in November 2025 that the Philippine and Indonesian governments had forged a prisoner transfer agreement that allowed Veloso to return to Manila after 10 years of diplomatic efforts and consultations regarding her case.
A month later, Veloso returned to Manila and was detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
Veloso was arrested at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta in 2010 after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
She has maintained that she was unaware of the contents of her luggage, saying it had been given to her by her recruiters, identified as Julius Lacanilao and Maria Cristina Sergio.