Migrante International expressed disappointment over the snail-paced progress of Mary Jane Veloso’s case. Veloso has been detained for ten months at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong, yet her case received no developments.

Together with members of Migrante International, Veloso’s family went to the Supreme Court on October 30 to request expediting her case. Veloso only needs to give her testimony before the court proving she is a victim of an illegal recruiter and trafficking.

Veloso’s case currently remains pending before the Regional Trial Court Branch 89 in Baloc, Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija, where Christina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao face charges of human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and estafa. Veloso filed the case herself and serves as the last witness for it. She is yet to deliver her testimony regarding this case.

Veloso was imprisoned in Indonesia in 2010 for carrying illegal drugs at Yogyakarta Airport. Her recruiter deceived her into bringing the luggage. She was sentenced to death, massive demonstrations in the Philippines postponed the execution. The Indonesian government allowed to transfer her custody to the Philippines in December 2024.

“The case against Mary Jane’s traffickers has been ongoing for 15 years and is yet to be resolved. Now that Mary Jane is home and in Philippine territory, why is it still taking too long for her to testify? The goverment continues to deprive her of that right. Justice delayed for Mary Jane Veloso is justice denied for all victims of labor trafficking,” Migrante International Joanna Concepcion said.

Veloso’s family also continues to appeal for the US-Marcos regime to grant her executive clemency on humanitarian grounds.

“Once again, we challenge Marcos Jr to grant Mary Jane Veloso the full clemency she deserves. There is no legal basis to prolong her detention. Justice for Mary Jane is not only justice against her traffickers but also freedom and the warm embrace of her family and people,” Concepcion added.