Mary Jane Veloso resumes dreams for kin, eyes having a farm

MANILA, Philippines — Mary Jane Veloso wants to use her newfound freedom to venture into farming in her hometown in Nueva Ecija to give her family a better life.

“My real priority is simply to lift my family out of poverty,” Veloso said in a press conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Oct. 1, adding that she held on to that dream even during her imprisonment in Indonesia following her arrest there in 2010.

Veloso, whom President Marcos granted absolute pardon on Sept. 24 following her repatriation to the Philippines in 2024, wants to pursue human trafficking, estafa and illegal recruitment charges against her recruiters Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, in connection with the heroin found in her suitcase upon her arrest in Yogyakarta.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: Veloso wants ex-recruiters to clear her name in court

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

She was sentenced to death in October 2010 for drug trafficking, but then Indonesian President Joko Widodo granted a last minute stay of her execution in 2015 after her recruiters surrendered to Philippine authorities.

Moving on

Veloso, however, also wants to move on and help her family any way she can. She said she plans to continue her studies as a junior high school student at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), where she was detained upon her return to the Philippines.

READ: Mary Jane Veloso is finally free

“They said they would help me finish [my studies at CIW],” Veloso, 41, told reporters.

Article continues after this advertisement

“I don’t want to rise out of poverty alone. I want to rise together with my family,” she said, adding that the outpouring of support for her is a “blessing.”

“I really want a piece of land to cultivate. If you just plant vegetables there, you can sustain yourself. If you plant rice, you will have your (own supply) … If I were to sell clothes or something similar, I lack training for that, and … there is no guarantee of success either,” she said.

Article continues after this advertisement

‘State’s duty’

For her parents, Cesar and Celia, being with their daughter is the most important thing.

“We won’t allow her to leave us again,” Cesar told the Inquirer in a recent interview after the Velosos were reunited with their daughter in their hometown of General Mamerto Natividad in Nueva Ecija.

He said he would support his daughter should she decide to put up a business, while Celia said she hoped Mary Jane would just enjoy her time with her family.

“I hope she starts working on her plans next year,” Celia said with a grin.

Lawyer Edre Olalia acknowledged the government’s role in its assistance to Veloso, but also said it is the state’s duty to protect overseas Filipino workers who fall prey to unscrupulous recruiters.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

“I think the bigger picture and the long view is not only about Mary Jane, [but] how come our people still leave our shores every single day to put food on the table, bring their kids to school, and risk their lives and their future?” he said in the same press briefing. INQ