The Philippines' presidential office on Tuesday said nothing is final yet regarding the possible pardon for overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso, who is set to return to the Philippines after over a decade of imprisonment in Indonesia, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the government is currently focused on facilitating her immediate return.
“Nothing to say yet on what may happen. The priority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is to have Veloso repatriated without delay,” Bersamin told reporters when asked about the potential for a presidential pardon following recent developments.
Veloso was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after the suitcase she was carrying was found to be lined with 2.6 kilogrammes of heroin.
She has maintained her innocence, saying that she was an unwitting drug mule for a Philippine employment recruiter.
She received a last-minute reprieve in April 2015 when the Philippine government informed Indonesia that her recruiters had surrendered.
Last month, Marcos revealed that Indonesia had agreed to repatriate Veloso.
The Philippines' presidential office on Monday evening confirmed Veloso’s imminent return to the country, adding that the Philippines will honour the terms of her return, the details of which have yet to be disclosed.