[Inside the Newsroom] Mary Jane Veloso made us cry and realize why we want to be journalists

• President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the pardon of Mary Jane Veloso, leading to her release from prison after 16 years.
• Journalists from Rappler covered Veloso's emotional return to the Philippines, highlighting her joy and gratitude during her first interview as a free woman.
• Veloso's homecoming was celebrated by her family and community, serving as a reminder of the importance of journalism in advocating for the rights and protection of vulnerable individuals.

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September 25 was supposed to be a normal Friday work day, until President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced in an interview: he has pardoned former overseas worker Mary Jane Velasco. 

I alerted my desk editors, broke the story, and triggered Rappler’s 48-hour coverage of Veloso’s release and freedom. 

Hello! This is justice reporter Jairo Bolledo.

I broke down in tears as I was choosing a display photo for the story on Veloso’s pardon. I picked a 2024 photograph where she was crying and talking to her family via video call. It was taken on the day of her return to the Philippines. 

I knew it was going to be a long weekend ahead of us. At any moment, Veloso would be released from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City. 

While waiting for updates in the afternoon, I wrote, shot, and edited a video explainer on Veloso’s case. In the early evening, as I headed for dinner with colleagues, a Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) official announced that Veloso would be released that night — at 8 pm. 

Because all Rappler cars were out on other coverages, head of news operations Acor Arceo drove me and fellow reporter Jelo Ritzhie Mantaring to CIW. We arrived a few minutes before 8 pm. 

There was a table set up inside the CIW’s holding area. The last time I was in that room was when I covered Veloso’s transfer from Indonesia to the Philippines.

At past 8:30 pm, a smiling Veloso — dressed in white shirt and gray sweatpants — entered the room. She was beaming the whole time. She was a different Veloso.

I learned about her case in 2015 as a freshman journalism student. I pictured her as a woman who was always worried and timid. She was on death row at the time.

Nine years later, in 2024, I covered her return as a reporter. I saw a happy Veloso. Then on September 25, 2026, I had the ultimate privilege of covering her release. I witnessed a truly free Mary Jane. 

After a short press conference with BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr., Veloso stayed with her lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers and advocates from Migrante International, who had seen her case through. 

I approached the groups and asked if I could get 15 minutes of Veloso’s time for a Rappler Talk interview. The groups said yes. Veloso enthusiastically accepted my offer. It was her first exclusive and sit-down interview since her pardon.  

I talked to Veloso as if we were long-time acquaintances. I held back tears while listening to her story about her life in prison, her plans for her family, and how she feels about the people who had wronged her. 

That was one of the most important interviews I had ever done in my career. It was a coverage of a lifetime. 

Afterwards, I tried shaking Veloso’s hands, but she hugged me instead. She is warm. She is grateful. She still is a cheerful person after all the hurdles she had faced. 

We stayed in CIW to cover her reunion with family. We followed the family until their transfer from CIW to a hotel in Manila in the early hours of September 26. 

Veloso’s story is one of those that makes us realize why we do what we do. Why we chose journalism. Why we chose public service. 

It’s not every day that we win in our crusade for a better world or against the atrocities. Veloso’s freedom after 16 years is a win for everyone — for herself, her family, and for all the people who have been helping her in the last 16 years.

That’s why Veloso’s journey back home to Nueva Ecija was also part of the wins that must be documented. 

Hi! Jelo Ritzhie Mantaring here. I report about social issues, including migration and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

I met Mary Jane Veloso again at the Siena College Chapel in Quezon City at 9:40 am on Saturday, September 26. She was attending Mass — her first activity as a free woman. While waiting for the Mass, I asked her how she slept after her release from the CIW.

“Hindi po ako makatulog. Ito po, namamaga ang mata ko. Pasens’ya na po, siguro masyado akong nao-overwhelm sa pamilya, sa lahat ng sumusuporta,” she said. (I cannot sleep. Look, that’s why I have puffy eyes. I’m sorry, maybe I’m too overwhelmed with my family and all those who are supporting me.)

Later, I would learn from her sister, Maritess Laurente, that Veloso gets carsick easily. It was Darling Cando, the closest sibling to Veloso, who made sure that they would bring Bonamine for her.

It was surreal for me that Veloso decided to attend Mass and hold a news conference first before traveling for hours to her home province with lack of sleep. I thought, her will and determination to give thanks to God and supporters were unmatched.

I interviewed her siblings to learn more about the family she came from. And this is what I saw: love was patient and overflowing between them. 

At 3 pm, the Veloso family began their trip to Nueva Ecija. Our team went ahead of them.

Upon arriving in General Mamerto Natividad town, we saw some tables and chairs set up. There were homecoming banners, small balloons, and a crowd of relatives and neighbors. She arrived — finally home — at 5:43 pm. 

I knew I was there to cover. But I also remember asking myself: Why, really, am I here?

The answer came during their dinner. Veloso, happily eating her requested pinakbet and inihaw na tilapia, was surrounded by her family. The Veloso family, complete. I took a video of that moment, not as a way of intruding into their family, but to help announce that Mary Jane was home at last and will be starting life anew.

This, ultimately, is the journalism I want to keep doing: the one that puts the spotlight on ordinary families, and where they are in the policies and systems that the powerful create for them.

Like Mary Jane Veloso, many Filipinos may also be risking everything to provide for their families. And they are taken advantage of because of that vulnerability. Her documented cautionary tale must push the government to better protect our countrymen. 

That’s where journalism helps. And you, too, join us in this mission when you decide to support the journalism that Rappler does. 

– Rappler.com

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