Better for Mary Jane Veloso to write directly to Marcos instead of posting on social media: Palace

Mary Jane Veloso arrives at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City on Dec. 18, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/FileMANILA — It will be better for former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso to write a personal letter to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instead of airing her sentiments in an open letter posted on social media, Malacañang said on Monday.

The Palace gave the statement in reaction to Veloso’s open letter, wherein she appealed for clemency so that she can "be with my family who have been separated from me for more than 16 years."

Mary Jane Veloso appeals for continued support for freedom in open letter

“Mas maganda kung itong open letter niya… ay personal o maipaabot mismo sa Pangulo para magkaroon ng tamang pagdedesisyon tungkol dito,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Palace reporters. 

Veloso was apprehended by customs officials at the Audisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on April 25, 2010 after 2.6 kilograms of heroin was found in her luggage.

Veloso — who maintained that she did not know about the contraband — was sentenced to death in Indonesia, but was allowed to transfer to a Philippine prison in 2024 shortly after new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto rose to power.

Mary Jane Veloso spends 40th birthday in jail; lawyers ask for her freedom

In mid-2025, Veloso’s family, church leaders, and other representatives went to Malacañang to submit the petitions and letters calling for her release.

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