By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Citing close international cooperation on cross-border crimes, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s pardon of Mary Jane Veloso falls within the agreement between the Philippines and Indonesia.
In a press conference on Thursday, DOJ Undersecretary Nicolas Ty shared the various challenges faced by the Philippine legal team in bringing Veloso home.
Teary-eyed Veloso expressed her heartfelt gratitude for her newfound freedom, “Nagpapasalamat po ako sa Poong Maykapal, na nagbigay pa po sa akin ng pangalawang buhay. Pangalawa po, nagpapasalamat po ako sa lahat ng tao na gumawa ng paraan para po mabigyan po ako ng absolute pardon ni President.”
After more than a decade of diplomatic exchanges between Jakarta and Manila, she was finally able to be brought back to the Philippines through a prison transfer agreement made by President Marcos Jr. and his Indonesian counterpart, President Prabowo Subianto.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida expounded, “Nakita natin na sa pamamagitan ng kasunduan ng Pilipinas at Indonesia sa pag-transfer kay Mary Jane dito, kasama dito yung prerogative ng ating minamahal na Pangulo na mag-pardon.”
The pardon granted to the former OFW by President Marcos Jr. aligns with the no-punishment principles for human-trafficking victims stipulated under Republic Act No. 10364 (Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012).
Section 17 reads, “Trafficked persons shall be recognized as victims of the act or acts of trafficking and as such, shall not be penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of, or as an incident or in relation to, being trafficked based on the acts of trafficking enumerated in this Act or in obedience to the order made by the trafficker in relation thereto.”
Apart from Veloso, the DOJ and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) are also helping out other overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) victimized by trafficking in other countries through close diplomatic engagement with their respective international counterparts.
For their part, Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra respected President Marcos Jr.’s absolute pardon of Mary Jane Veloso.
Secretary Vida concluded the press conference with a stern warning to aspiring migrant workers to remain vigilant against illegal recruiters and only transact with the right, legal agencies. Meanwhile, Veloso is set to testify against her illegal recruiters in the Nueva Ecija Regional Trial Court soon. (with report from Sheila Natividad | PTV News)
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