The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) welcomes the grant of absolute pardon to Ms. Mary Jane Veloso, whose experience draws attention to the vulnerabilities faced by overseas Filipino workers and other migrant workers who may fall prey to illegal recruitment, trafficking, exploitation, and criminal syndicates.
From the beginning of her case, Ms. Veloso maintained that she had been deceived by her recruiters into carrying a suitcase containing illegal drugs. Her experience underscores the need for stronger safeguards for migrant workers, particularly women, whose vulnerability may be compounded by poverty, limited access to legal assistance, gender-based discrimination, and barriers in foreign justice systems.
The CHR thus reiterates the obligation of the State to protect the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers, including those facing imprisonment or the death penalty overseas. This includes ensuring adequate legal and consular assistance, strengthening protection against trafficking and illegal recruitment, and pursuing diplomatic and legal remedies consistent with the Philippines’ human rights obligations. The decisive actions taken by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in granting the pardon, President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government in facilitating Ms. Veloso’s transfer to the Philippines, and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice, Department of Migrant Workers, and other government agencies in ensuring sustained diplomatic and bilateral efforts with their Indonesian counterparts, are reminders of the importance of international cooperation in the protection of human rights.
The Commission likewise welcomes efforts to support Ms. Veloso’s reintegration into society. After years of incarceration, access to livelihood opportunities, skills development, psychosocial support, and other forms of assistance will be important in enabling her to rebuild her life with dignity and stability.
As Ms. Veloso begins this new chapter, the CHR hopes that her case will strengthen the government’s resolve to protect Filipinos overseas, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances, and to continue pursuing measures that uphold the right to life, access to justice, rehabilitation, and human dignity.
Finally, the Commission recognizes the collective efforts that made this long-awaited development possible. Special recognition is due to Ms. Veloso’s lawyers and advocates, including the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, Migrante International, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (JBMI), Beranda Migran, Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Masyarakat (LBHM), the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, and the Coalition Against the Death Penalty-Philippines, together with their supporters in the Philippines and the international community.
The CHR also acknowledges the Komnas Perempuan (National Commission on Violence against Women in Indonesia) and Komnas HAM (the National Human Rights Institution of Indonesia) for coordinating with civil society, the Philippine and Indonesian governments, and the Commission.
The collective and sustained legal advocacy, collective organizing, and human rights diplomacy, strengthened by the perseverance of Ms. Veloso and her parents contributed significantly to this long-awaited outcome.
The Commission, in line with its Constitutional mandate, remains committed to providing policy, technical, and legal guidance in support of these efforts and to monitoring the situation of other Filipinos facing serious criminal charges and severe penalties abroad.###
CHR (VI) A2025-003: Human Rights Advisory on the Implementation by the Philippines of the UN Treaty Body Concluding Observations: The Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families
https://drive.google.com/file/d/133v3woN0SRplLAPFGShuVHDQ1Vj-oFli/view?usp=sharing
Statement of the Commission on Human Rights on the return of Mary Jane Veloso after 14 years, 20 December 2024
https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-on-the-return-of-mary-jane-veloso-after-14-years/
Statement of the Commission on Human Rights welcoming the positive developments on Mary Jane Veloso’s case and her return to the Philippines after over a decade of imprisonment in Indonesia, 9 December 2024
https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-welcoming-the-positive-developments-on-mary-jane-velosos-case-and-her-return-to-the-philippines-after-over-a-decade-of-imprisonment-in-indonesia/
Statement of the Commission on Human Rights on the commitment of the Indonesian government to reexamine Mary Jane Veloso’s case, 13 January 2024
https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-on-the-commitment-of-the-indonesian-government-to-reexamine-mary-jane-velosos-case/
NHRI Submission to the Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) for the List of Issues on the Philippines for the Implementation of the International Convention on the Human Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICMW), 27 February 2023
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=INT%2FCMW%2FCSS%2FPHL%2F51835&Lang=en
CHR (V) A2021-005: Advisory on the Increased Vulnerability Of Women Migrant Workers on Death Row
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zdPV0TXOeXn-m8YiTsVeP6kmKmXbLjDc/view?usp=sharing
Statement of the Commission on Human Rights urging the government to address alleged human rights violations committed locally and abroad, 24 March 2018
https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-urging-the-government-to-address-alleged-human-rights-violations-committed-locally-and-abroad/