By E. Maestro
Finally! Mary Jane Veloso is free! Migrante International describes the release of Mary Jane Veloso as “a historic victory for the global people’s movement that has long fought for freedom and justice for Mary Jane as a victim of human trafficking.”
Migrante International continues: “Our campaign does not end here. This victory gives us the inspiration, courage and fuel to advance our movement to free migrant workers from exploitation and assert their full economic, social and political rights abroad and at home. We must work to change the unjust and oppressive system that forces Filipinos like Mary Jane to leave the country in order for their families to survive and endure attacks on their rights.”
Migrante Canada issued its statement on the release of Mary Jane on September 28, 2026. The full-text of the statement is shared below:
“After 16 years of detention, 40-year-old Mary Jane Veloso finally walked out of the Correctional Institute for Women, a woman who spent 14 years inside prison in Indonesia and two years inside the Correctional Institute for Women in the Philippines. Veloso was a victim of human trafficking.
Migrante Canada and its member organizations from coast to coast welcome this news and know the joy this brings to Mary Jane Veloso, her aging parents Nanay Celia and Tatay Cesar, and her two sons. Migrante International, the biggest global alliance of Filipinos overseas, as well as Veloso’s lawyers in the NUPL, the many supporters from various sectors, the friends and allies across the globe celebrate this long overdue freedom of Mary Jane.
The campaigns to free Mary Jane that started when her arrest and detention in Indonesia was made known to the public, spread far and wide from the Philippines to many countries around the globe where Migrante chapters, friends and networks rallied around to free Mary Jane, to save her from execution by firing squad, and to bring Mary Jane home. Migrante International summed it up well: “Mary Jane’s long- awaited freedom is a testament to the power of the people’s collective action. The countless organized vigils, rallies and protest actions, prayers, petition signing, phone, letter and noise barrages, forums and lobbying efforts for the past 11 years have all challenged government leaders to act. Our calls for freedom reverberated around the world.“
Migrante Canada followed the case of Mary Jane Veloso, joined these campaigns with actions in front of the Indonesian consulate and the Philippine Consulate General, with petitions and letters, art exhibits, prayers and masses in churches, forums, social media posts, and many more events to remind everyone that Mary Jane was not forgotten — even if most of the time, the Philippine government did. Strong, loud, committed support to free Mary Jane was sustained throughout all these years because at the heart of these campaigns was Mary Jane herself, her parents and her family. We were determined to have no more Flor Contemplacions.
CAPTION for Group Pictures: Apo Expedito Farinas and the congregation at St Mary the Virgin South Hill holding their signs to “Free Mary Jane”. Photo credit: St Mary the Virgin South Hill church.
Last September 24, President Marcos Jr. issued an absolute and unconditional pardon for Mary Jane and restored her full civil and political rights. It must be said though that the President’s announcement could have been made so much earlier when Veloso was transferred from Indonesia to the Philippines on December 18, 2024.
The announcement of absolute pardon for Veloso came in the heels of the big news made public in September 9,2026. The Supreme Court in June 2026 acquitted Imelda Marcos, the president’s mother, the former First Lady, and widow of the dictator Marcos by reversing the 2018 Sandiganbayan conviction of guilty on seven counts of graft, a sentence that carried a maximum of 77 years in prison. Imelda posted bail, appealed the decision, never served a day in jail using her age and poor health as reasons.
It did not make good PR sense for the government to share Imeda Marcos’ acquittal (Shame!) and still continue to keep Mary Jane inside the CIW. Mary Jane, unlike Imelda Marcos, was never charged nor convicted of any crime in any court in the Philippines. This was a grave injustice to Mary Jane who should have been set free when she was transferred from Indonesia to the Philippines.
It did not make good PR sense either to ignore our movement who kept faith and hope with Mary Jane for we were witness to the neglect of government officials on protecting the rights of migrant workers and to the lack of justice for those made victims of human trafficking, unjust detention, and criminalization.
Mary Jane is finally free. Maraming salamat to her family, friends and supporters in the campaigns through all these years in the Philippines and around the world. All our combined efforts made sure that Mary Jane Veloso was saved from execution by firing squad in Indonesia and made sure she walked out of jail to embrace her parents and sons in freedom.”
No more Mary Jane Velosos. No more Flor Contemplacions.
End forced labour migration!
Justice to the victims of human trafficking!
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