Mary Jane Veloso’s family and Migrante International are filled with hope and joy following the official announcement of her return to the Philippines before the holiday season. The governments of the Philippines and Indonesia signed the agreement on December 6, following reports in November that Veloso’s custody might be transferred.

“Finally, we have confirmation that we will indeed welcome Mary Jane home soon and she will witness the overwhelming support from all the people, organizations and groups who have campaigned to save her life since 2015,” Migrante International stated. The group expressed gratitude to everyone who participated in the global campaign to save Veloso.

Veloso has been imprisoned in Indonesia since 2010 on drug trafficking charges. It has long been established that she was a victim of human and drug trafficking by her recruiter. In 2015, the persistent efforts of the Filipino people spared Veloso from the death penalty. She remained in detention in Jakarta, Indonesia, despite ongoing efforts to indict her illegal recruiter and long-standing calls for her release.

With news of Veloso’s return to the Philippines, her family and Migrante International have renewed their call on the Marcos regime to grant her clemency so she can be reunited with her family. The group also urged Marcos officials to ensure coordination and communication with the family to monitor the process of transferring Veloso’s custody from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Migrante International and church groups continue their campaign for a petition urging Marcos to grant Veloso clemency. The National Union of People’s Lawyers, Veloso’s legal organization counsel, supports this petition.

The groups will also ensure pursuing Veloso’s testimony against her illegal recruiters and traffickers to hold them accountable. They believe that Mary Jane’s return will serve as a beacon of hope for many Filipino migrants worldwide, especially for those marginalized and abandoned by the government, illegally imprisoned, and facing injustice.