THE JOURNEY TO EXECUTION ISLAND

The story of Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, born in 1985 in Nueva Ecija, is a harrowing account of a desperate mother caught in the machinery of international drug trafficking.

As the youngest of five children from a poor family, Mary Jane dropped out of high school and married young. After her marriage dissolved, leaving her to raise two young sons alone, she resolved to seek employment abroad.

In 2010, after a brief, failed stint as a domestic helper in Dubai, Mary Jane was offered a new job opportunity in Malaysia by Maria Cristina Sergio (“Tintin”), the fiancée of her God-brother, Julius Lacanilao.

Trusting them, Mary Jane accepted the offer, viewing it as a second chance to lift her family out of poverty.

After arriving in Malaysia with Sergio and Lacanilao, Mary Jane was told the job had fallen through. The couple then offered her employment in Indonesia instead. They purchased new clothes for her, gave her $500 in cash, and provided a brand-new, empty suitcase for her trip.

When Mary Jane arrived at Adisutjipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on April 25, 2010, security personnel found something amiss with her luggage.

They cut open the seams of the suitcase and discovered 2.6 kilograms of heroin concealed within the lining, estimated to be worth $500,000 USD.

LEGAL FAILURE AND THE DEATH SENTENCE

Mary Jane was immediately arrested. Her subsequent trial was marred by severe procedural defects. She was not provided a licensed, competent Tagalog interpreter or legal counsel during her interrogation by Indonesian police, a fact that later became the focus of her legal team.

In October 2010, the District Court of Yogyakarta sentenced Mary Jane Veloso to the ultimate penalty: death by firing squad.

Her public lawyer and the Philippine Embassy initially failed to mount a strong defense. Appeals to the Yogyakarta Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Jakarta were swiftly denied.

Mary Jane’s case became a symbol of the vulnerability of OFWs. After over a year of fighting, the administration of then-President Benigno Aquino III intervened, sending a letter of clemency to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

However, the appeal was rejected in December 2014 by the newly elected President Joko Widodo.

Despite the rejection, the pressure intensified. Mary Jane’s legal team filed a petition for judicial review in 2015, citing issues with translation and legal representation during the initial trial.

THE LAST-MINUTE REPRIEVE

In April 2015, Mary Jane was transferred to the maximum-security prison island of Nusakambangan, where executions are carried out. The Indonesian Attorney General announced her execution was scheduled for April 29, 2015.

The situation seemed hopeless, but the Philippine government, backed by massive public outcry and international figures like the UN Secretary-General, made a final plea.

The crucial breakthrough came when Mary Jane’s recruiters, Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, surrendered to police in the Philippines, claiming they had received de@th threats from the drug syndicate.

The Philippine government immediately contacted Indonesian officials, requesting a stay of execution, arguing Mary Jane was a key witness needed to prosecute the drug syndicate.

At 1:00 a.m. on April 29, just hours before the scheduled execution, President Widodo granted a temporary reprieve. Mary Jane’s life was saved, though eight of her fellow inmates were executed that same night.

THE FIGHT FOR EXONERATION

Mary Jane remains incarcerated in Indonesia as a state witness against the West African drug syndicate and her convicted traffickers.

The surrender of Sergio and Lacanilao led to their prosecution in the Philippines for large-scale illegal recruitment, human trafficking, and fraud. In 2020, Sergio and Lacanilao were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mary Jane, meanwhile, has found purpose in prison, learning to weave Batik cloth, the sale of which helps support her sons who are now in the custody of her family.

The case remains active. The administrations of both former President Rodrigo Duterte and current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have continued to seek executive clemency.

International support, led by figures including Senator Manny Pacquiao and Richard Branson, continues to advocate for her release, arguing she was a victim of circumstance and exploitation, not a criminal mastermind.