Filipina on death row in Indonesia poised to return to Philippines

A Filipina convicted of drug trafficking, who was nearly executed by firing squad in Indonesia in 2015, will finally return to the Philippines after years of negotiations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.

- Mara Cepeda

Former domestic helper Mary Jane Veloso, a single mother of two, is "coming home", Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on social media platform X on Nov 20.

The Indonesian authorities detained her after discovering 2.6kg of heroin apparently hidden behind the lining of her luggage in April 2010. She was sentenced to death in October the same year.

Veloso, 39, has maintained her innocence from the beginning, saying the drugs had been planted.

Mr Marcos said: "After over a decade of diplomacy and consultations with the Indonesian government, we managed to delay her execution long enough to reach an agreement to finally bring her back to the Philippines."

He thanked Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for "goodwill", adding that Veloso's transfer shows that Manila and Jakarta are "united in a shared commitment to justice and compassion".

Indonesia allowed Veloso's return to the Philippines under the condition that the Philippine government recognises her drug trafficking conviction and that she serves the remainder of her sentence in her home country, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said in a statement.

The Philippines will also have to pay for Veloso's travel back home.