Veloso, family get P50,000 aid from gov’t

MANILA, Philippines — The government has provided financial and livelihood assistance to Mary Jane Veloso and her family after President Marcos granted her an absolute pardon, allowing her to reunite with her family after more than 16 years, according to Malacañang.

In a briefing on Monday, Palace press officer Claire Castro said that personnel from the field office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Luzon visited the Velosos in Gen. Mamerto Natividad, Nueva Ecija on Sunday to hand over cash relief assistance totaling P50,000.

Veloso and her parents each received P10,000 while her two sons also got P10,000 each. Veloso also underwent an assessment for the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program, which could provide support as she starts rebuilding her livelihood.

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READ: Mary Jane Veloso is finally free

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New chapter

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is likewise providing assistance to the whole family to ensure their reintegration as they enter a new chapter in their lives, according to Castro.

The DMW’s ongoing interventions include livelihood starter kits, enterprise capital and skills training as well as psychosocial counseling.

“These measures are aimed at restoring dignity and bringing hope to Mary Jane and her entire family as they begin a new chapter in their lives,” Castro said.

“Through these actions by the President, the life of a mother, a worker and a Filipino was saved,” she added.

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On Sept. 25, President Marcos signed an absolute pardon for Veloso, allowing her to finally walk free less than two years from her supposedly 20 to 40 years imprisonment at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.

Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase. She was sentenced to death and scheduled to be executed in 2015. Instead, she was granted a last-minute reprieve upon the intercession of then-President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

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Veloso was repatriated on Dec. 18, 2024, following talks between Marcos and then-Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. /cb