Veloso: Transfer to Phl a miracle

Filipina death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso says that her planned transfer to the Philippines from Indonesia is a "miracle," in her first interview since Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement last week to repatriate her.

- - AFP

"This is a miracle because, honestly, even now, it still feels like a dream. Every morning when I wake up, I think about my aspirations, aspirations that I never had any certainty about," Veloso told Agence France-Presse from prison when asked about the decision.

Veloso, 39-year-old mother of two, was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after the suitcase she was carrying was found to be lined with 2.6 kilograms of heroin, in a case that sparked uproar in the Philippines.

Both she and her supporters claim she was duped by an international drug syndicate, and in 2015, she narrowly escaped execution after her suspected recruiter was arrested.

"That's why I always prayed to God, 'Lord, I only ask for one chance to go home and be with my family,' And God answered that prayer," Veloso said.