“It was an answer to prayer, but getting Mary Jane home to the Philippines has not been a simple endeavor.”
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) group Migrante, Task Force to Save Mary Jane, and church groups gathered on Saturday evening at the St. Anthony de Padua Shrine for a candle-lighting and prayer vigil to demand for the safe return of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina on death row in Indonesia.
According to the groups, the event was a testament to the tireless campaign for Veloso’s freedom and a broader critique of the previous and current government’s failure to address systemic issues faced by migrant workers.
Solidarity in prayer
The candle-lighting event was followed by an evening mass with a special homily for Veloso’s freedom. In his homily, the presiding Franciscan priest underscored the Christian duty to aid victims of trafficking and called for solidarity with Veloso who was deceived by traffickers and later imprisoned in Indonesia since 2010.
The vigil also launched a National Call for Prayer Action and Solidarity Vigils for Mary Jane Velose to urge Filipino communities worldwide to pray and advocate for her safe return and freedom.
“We are both hopeful and thankful for Mary Jane Veloso to be one step further in her walk toward freedom, in her pursuit of justice against her human traffickers,” said in the statement from the Church Task Force.
The groups further announced a global petition addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., pressing for clemency on humanitarian grounds.
On November 15, the Indonesian and Philippine governments advanced discussions regarding the transfer of custody of Veloso to the Philippines to serve the remainder of her sentence.
The Indonesian government further emphasized in upholding its sovereignty and legal process while respecting the reciprocal bilateral cooperation with the Philippines. If transferred, Veloso’s sentence could potentially be adjusted in accordance with Philippine laws which do not impose the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice said that they cannot automatically grant clemency to Veloso upon her return as it could project a bad impression to the international community.
Various advocacy groups, however, remain vigilant and emphasize that justice for Veloso extends beyond her repatriation.
“We continue to appeal for clemency for Mary Jane, as a victim of human trafficking, especially given the Veloso family’s concern for Mary Jane’s safety if ever she is to be detained in a Philippine jail. We continue to pray that Mary Jane will be free to enjoy the embrace of her family, long awaiting her return,” the task force said.
Government inaction and OFW struggles
Despite the recent developments in Veloso’s case, advocates noted the worsening commodification of Filipino labor through low-wage and precarious overseas jobs under Marcos Jr. administration.
“Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not secured “quality jobs” for our OFWs. In his extravagant international trips, Marcos has instead signed bilateral labor agreements to deploy an increasing number of Filipinos into contractual, low-wage jobs,” said Migrante in a statement addressed to Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation.
The group also highlighted the government’s failure to address labor exploitation, human trafficking, illegal recruitment, violence, discrimination, unjust arrest, detention and deportation as well as the slow responses to displacement crises including those caused by war and economic instability.
“Business is running as usual for the Marcos Jr. regime as they deny OFWs full justice, protection, and assistance, abandoning them as their rights are being violated in their millions,” Migrante added.
Migrante also said that Marcos Jr. is also lying when he claimed to provide long-term decent jobs for OFWs back in the Philippines when in reality most of them are left to fend for themselves.
“Filipinos overseas are growing sick and tired of the lies of the Marcos Jr. regime. They are disgusted by the feuds between the Marcos and Duterte cliques over the spoils of government plunder,” the group said.
