Imprisoned unjustly 14 years ago, human trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso returns to the Philippines
The Rev. Cathy Chang, a PC(USA) mission co-worker in the Philippines, was part of the enthusiastic crowd welcoming Veloso home
LOUISVILLE — Mary Jane Veloso, a human trafficking victim who was imprisoned unjustly for 14 years in Indonesia for unwittingly carrying 2.6 kilos of heroin into that country in luggage provided to her by individuals who had recruited her to work in Malaysia, was freed from Indonesian custody earlier this week and returned home to the Philippines on Wednesday.
PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker the Rev. Cathy Chang was at the Manila airport to help welcome Veloso home in a terminal crowded with reporters and well-wishers. Veloso is currently undergoing quarantine and hopes to spend Christmas with her family, Chang said.
Once Veloso approached the arrivals area on Wednesday, “everybody started chanting her name,” Chang said. “We were quite a distance away. She was flanked by security personnel, and her parents and family could not hug or touch her.”
Chang and others then accompanied Veloso to the Correctional Institute for Women, where she’s being held for a quarantine protocol. “That is routine for everyone,” Chang said. “Thankfully, there was an initial family reunion after her arrival at the CIW. Then after the quarantine, the family can spend Christmas together.”
Now 39, Veloso, a domestic worker, was arrested in 2010 in Indonesia. She denied knowing about the drugs in the luggage she’d been given by those who’d recruited her to work in Malaysia — two Filipinos who were convicted in 2020 of large-scale illegal recruitment. In 2015, she’d been sentenced to be executed in Indonesia, but at the 11th hour was granted a stay thanks in part to pleas from then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino because of the recent arrest of one of her recruiters.
In a statement issued Wednesday just before her flight home, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines said it anticipated Veloso’s release along with the coming of Christ this Advent season. “This Holy Child is the Holy God who takes on flesh, overcoming humanity’s frailties and follies, and proclaims the fullness of abundant life,” the PC(USA) partner said in the statement. “In the coming together of the Advent season and on this International Migrants Day, we celebrate Mary Jane Veloso’s anticipated homecoming to the Philippines. We join the expression of support extended to her and her family, from Philippine and Indonesian advocates, and the international community.”
Chang said Veloso’s release was the result of a high-level diplomatic agreement between the Ministry of Justice in Indonesia and counterparts in the Philippines. Under diplomatic agreements signed by members of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the custody of a prisoner can be transferred. Chang credited both Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the new Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto.
“From what I could see during the live feed [of Veloso’s arrival in Manila], she obviously has aged. But the joy showed in her eyes,” Chang said. “Even at the press conference, I could see how she radiated joy, relief and gratitude.”
The question on the minds of Veloso’s many supporters is whether Marcos will grant her clemency. They’re circulating this petition, which states, “Mary Jane is among many women migrant workers, from impoverished backgrounds, who have been preyed upon by illegal recruiters and human traffickers.” Her safe return “will shine as a beacon of hope for migrant workers around the world, especially for those who feel abandoned and neglected and who face unjust detention, the harsh realities of exploitation and injustice.” Everyone is invited to join international supporters through this online signature campaign.
Clemency for Veloso “is long overdue,” Chang said. “I think she has already suffered so much.” Chang credited Migrante International and the Church Task Force to Save Mary Jane, in addition to Veloso’s lawyers and Indonesian migrant advocates, for their tireless advocacy.
Several hours before leaving for the Manila airport, Chang stopped by a neighborhood florist to purchase some flowers for Veloso’s family to give to her. “Not knowing which colors to choose, I chose pink because that seemed the best choice,” Chang said. “I told the florist that they would be preparing ‘history-making flowers’ because they would later be given to Mary Jane Veloso.”
“Later, while waiting at the airport,” Chang said, “I learned that pink is Mary Jane’s favorite color.”
Read additional Presbyterian News Service reporting about Veloso’s ordeal and how Presbyterians have supported her over the years here, here, here and here.
Since 2015, the Rev. Cathy Chang has served as a mission co-worker in the Philippines.
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